Finding Yourself
by NatalieChapa918
Summary: Everything is not what it seems. Joie, Dean and Sam's adopted little sister, has a secret even she doesn't know. Dean is being forced to realize not all demons are evil. Meg has to face the fact she's not as evil as she seems. Castiel is looking at Joie in a way that is less than pure, and does Sam really want normal? A Castiel/OFC story. Mostly AU. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?**_

_**Full Summary: Everything is not as it seems. Joie, a young girl who John Winchester adopted after her fmaily was slain by a shifter, has a secret even she doesn't know. Dean realizes not all demons are evil, at least not one in particular. Meg must face the fact that she's not as cruel as she's supposed to be. Castiel is staring at Joie with less than pure intentions, and does Sam really want normal? Follows season 8 storyline to a point. AU after 8x02 (hehe, wonder why? *insert sarcasm here*) Castiel is not still in Purgatory. Meg has already been rescued from Crowley (come one people, we know it's coming). Castiel/OFC. Dean/Meg. Jackass!Sam (sorry). **_

_**Author's Note 1: Sorry it took me this long to get the Castiel/OFC story up! I couldn't find any inspiration. Plus, I was working on two other stories (still am, technically, but this one has my attention for now) so another one added to the bunch seemed a bit much. Then my plot bunny started rationalizing with me and reminded me that I was writing two fanfics along with four originals, so complaining about one more was kind of on the stupid side.**_

_**Author's Note 2: I can't explain Sam's behavior in this chapter. He's just really irritating me so far this season. I apologize to all you Sam fans. Eventually he'll come to his senses and come back (doesn't he always?) but until then, he's the ass. *goes to hide from angry mob* Enjoy!**_

"What do you mean you're done?"

"I mean I'm done Joie. I'm done hunting. I want a normal life. One that isn't filled with monsters and demons and the constant fear that another person I love is going to die."

Joie's violet eyes narrowed on Sam, willing him to burst into flames. Unfortunately, she wasn't the one who'd ever had psychic powers. "That's all well and good Samuel. Only one problem."

"And what's that?" Sam asked negligently, eyeing his best friend and little sister depreciatingly. Joie caught the look and prayed for patience.

Smiling coldly, she invaded Sam's personal space, pressing up against him. "Just because you quit, doesn't mean the people you love will. Dean and I will still hunt. Cas will still hunt. The only family you have left are hunters, and we will always be hunters. Eventually, something's going to get us. Some monster out there. Unless we quit, you will always have to worry about us dying. But hey," She shrugged, backing up, "you can always just cut us out of your life again. You did it before. Shouldn't be hard."

Sam sighed, reaching a hand out. Joie slapped it away angrily. "Do not even think about touching me Samuel Winchester. You're a bitch and a coward. You want out. Go. Don't wait for us to shut down hell. We can do it without you. Just leave now. Get it over with. You're so fucking desperate for normal, go grab it sugar."

"Is this where you tell me that if I walk out that door, not to come back?" Sam asked sarcastically.

Joie sucked in a deep breath at the reference of what John had said to Sam when the tall hunter left for Stanford. "You're family Sam. Unfortunately. I'd never turn you away. But make no mistake, you'll have to come to us. We won't come after you. Not again."

Sam looked over her shoulder, gazing into the dark corner where Dean, Cas, and Meg stood hiding from the conversation. "Is she right guys? If I leave, will you leave me alone? Will you not come after me and let me have a normal life?"

Joie nearly doubled over in pain from the torment she felt radiating from Dean. Castiel, sensing her distress, stepped forward and wrapped a hand around her waist, steadying her and blocking her from her natural empathetic abilities.

"I will stand by Joie." He said in his gruff voice, hauling the young woman against him. He would not let this selfish example of humanity harm her. Not when she had been hurt so much already.

Meg, watching her former charge and the girl with knowing eyes moved beside them. "You know me Sammy. Where Clarence goes, I go."

Sam nodded, unsurprised by the angel and demon's backing of his little sister. She was a leader to her core. Where he or Dean always floundered, Joie stood tall and firm, and those two soldiers would gravitate toward that leadership. Only one left. "And you Dean?"

Dean hesitated, hating to be put in this position. He hated having to choose between his brother and little sister, but dammit! He knew what was right! And Sam's path wasn't right! Sam's path would let innocent people be slaughtered. Straightening his shoulders, he stepped in front of Joie. "You're my brother. You're always welcome. But if you walk away, you'll have to walk back. I won't chase you."

Sam's face softened. He reached a hand out to try pleading. "Dean. You can come with me. You can have normal too."

"No Sam." Dean interrupted. "I can't. I'm a hunter, and I can't let innocent people die."

The tall brother's hazel eyes hardened into stone. "Fine!" He bit out. "Make sure someone calls me for your funeral."

"Will do Sammy." Dean replied sadly, watching his brother grab his backpack and walk away. The door slammed behind him and the remaining four visible relaxed, Joie leaning back into Castiel, accepting his unspoken offer of comfort. Dean collapsed on the floor and, to everyone's surprise, it was Meg who sat beside him. The demoness pulled the hunter into the circle of her arms and let him sob against her chest. Watching his brother walk away, yet again, had broken Dean's heart far more than it damaged everyone else. For Joie, Castiel, and Meg it was, sadly, expected.

Slowly, the tears subsided and Dean straightened, adjusting his and Meg's position until the demon sat between his outstretched legs, his arms around her waist and his head on her shoulder. Her back was pressed to his chest with her arms laid over his. The two looked oddly content.

"So what do we do now?" Dean asked in a broken whisper, and Joie saw Meg's hands tighten around his forearms.

Castiel gazed down at her, his brilliant blue eyes reflecting his normal questioning naivety. "Joie?"

Joie sighed and pulled on her inner core. "We fight. We find Crowley and get the tablet. Then we find Kevin and his mother. After that, we lock down hell forever."

"And after?" Mag asked, silently fearful. When they locked down hell, they'd lock her down too. Still, it was a sacrifice she was willing to make for the people who had stood by her when her own kind had turned against her.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Joie replied decisively. "Pack up. We need to move. The longer we stay in one place, the easier it'll be for Crowley to find us."

Everyone moved simultaneously, obeying without question. Castiel grinned as he realized it. Then he wondered when Joie would realize what a true psychic she was. She thought her ability to fell Sam and Dean's emotions were just a side-effect of being raised with them. She didn't know that she could feel it with others and just blocked it out, or that being an empath allowed her to tap into the part of everyone's brain that automatically obeyed orders, allowing her to make anyone do whatever she wanted, without question. Think Andy, without the demon blood.

The time would come to tell her. For now, they had to move.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?_**

_2 Weeks Ago_

Joie heard the cellphone chirping in the distance. Rolling over, she slapped her hand onto the irritating device, seeking to make the noise stop. The chirping finally died down and she smiled, sinking back into the pillow before her back-up phone started going off. Groaning, she grabbed the device and flipped it open.

"What?" She practically screamed, voice rough from sleep.

"Jo-Jo?" A familiar husky voice asked, laughter tingeing the sound.

"No. It's the fucking Easter Bunny." Joie snapped, sitting up in bed and brushing her black hair out of her face. "Who the hell is asking?"

"Nice to see you're morning personality hasn't changed much in four years."

"Just don't like being woken up by obnoxious assholes. Seriously, who the hell is this?"

There was a heavy sigh from the other end of the line. "It's Dean Jo-Jo."

Joie stilled, her heart fluttering painfully in her chest. "Dean who?"

"How many Deans do you fucking know Joie! It's me! Dean Winchester! Remember? We grew up together? My dad found you when you were two and started hauling you around with us?"

"That's not possible. Dean Winchester is dead. He died when he killed that fucker Dick Roman." Joie breathed out, heart breaking. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. Dean was dead. Sam had told her that himself. Who better to know than his own brother?

"No. Dean Winchester got blown into purgatory when he killed Dick Roman. Fortunately, the big man upstairs didn't create that place for humans, so there was an escape hatch."

"Bullshit."

"Damn it Joie! What will it take to convince you?"

"Safe word."

"What?"

"Safe word. From when we were kids. So you knew I was safe."

The man claiming to be Dean let out another long-suffering sigh. "Magi." The man muttered, with obvious reluctance.

"What was that?"

"Magi! Ok? Magi! The old woman from Fern Gully! Magi!"

Joie slumped back on the bed. "Ok. You're Dean."

"Seriously? That's it? Dude, I could be a shifter!"

"Yeah, well, I'll check for that when I see you."

"Right. Where are you?"

"Ha-ha. Fat chance Dean-O. Like you said, you could be a shifter. And considering the number of those I've killed over the years, I'm betting on a vengeful one. So I'm coming to you sugar."

"Bright. Real bright. Give 'em time to lay a trap for you."

Joie gave a hard laugh. "If you really are Dean Winchester, or even a shifter, or hell, possibly a Leviathan, then you know I was trained better than that. Where are you?"

"Louisiana. Lafayette."

"I'll be there in two days."

"Ok Jo-Jo. Hey, have you heard from Sam?"

"We'll talk about that when I get there. When I confirm you are who you say you are."

"Yeah. Ok. Fine Jo-Jo."

"See ya soon shifter."

"Dammit Joie. I'm not a-"

Joie ended the call during his tirade. She had no interest in hearing it. She'd find out if he was telling the truth soon enough.

She struggled out of bed and plodded to the shower. Shower, pack, coffee, leave. That was on the agenda for today. If it wasn't for the fact that she was going to see something that claimed to be Dean Winchester, she might just believe that it was a normal day in the life of the youngest Winchester sister.

Dean sighed and looked at the phone, seeing that she had hung up on him. _Well that went well_. He thought sarcastically. Actually, in an odd way, he was proud of her. She hadn't forgotten her training.

"Who was that?" Castiel asked, cocking his head to the side in his normal questioning manner.

"My little sister." Dean replied distractedly.

"I was not aware there were others besides you, Sam, and Adam."

"She's not technically my sister. Dad found her when she was two. Shifter impersonated her Dad and killed the whole family. Dad got there just in time to stop it from killing her too."

"Ah." Castiel replied, understanding dawning. "And she is coming?"

"Yeah. But it'll take her a couple days to get here." Dean replied, pulling out a sleeping bag and settling it under the windmill near where he had just dug up Benny's bones and brought the vampire back to life.

Castiel mirrored his actions, still weary from his climb out of purgatory. The angel wasn't mortal, just drained. Soon, very soon, he'd get back to full power. And this time, without Leviathans, amnesia, or Sam's psychosis, he'd be able to do what he should've been doing from the start. Protecting his charge.

"Get some sleep Cas." Dean murmured sleepily, already snuggled into his sleeping bag. "Jo-Jo will call when she get here. Until then, we'll lay low."

"Yes Dean."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?**_

Castiel stared at the headlights of Joie's Suzuki blinking in front of them. The hunter loved her motorcycle and refused to leave it behind, even after they'd find the tracking hex bag under her seat. She was like Dean with his Impala.

"Be careful Clarence." Meg warned from the backseat, signature smirk in place. "Stare too hard and you'll give big brother ideas."

Dean scoffed from his position behind the steering wheel. "Cas with a crush. Yeah. That's rich honey. I think you've got more to worry about from him than Jo-Jo does."

"Why do you call her Jo-Jo? Her name is Joie." Castiel asked, truly curious as well as trying to deflect attention from Meg's statement. He assumed it was an affectionate nickname, much like "Sammy" or "Dean-O", but he couldn't be sure.

Dean shrugged, taking a hard right after Joie. "She came home crying from kindergarten because she was teased about having a boy's name. You know, since it's pronounced "Joey" instead of "Joy". So Sam and I started calling her Jo-Jo after we beat up the kids who made her cry."

"So she is the baby of your family?"

Dean laughed. "In age only Cas. Other than that, she's pretty much the oldest. She always had her head screwed on straighter than me or Sam. Always knew how to toe that line between completely subservient to Dad and down-right defiant. Always knew she could make it on her own. Not like me. I needed Sam, someone to protect, to balance me out. Actually, she's always been able to straddle that line."

"What do you mean? And why has she not been hunting with you these past years?"

"Oh she used to." Meg spoke up from the backseat. "I met her in my other meat-suit. Complete bitch when she's hunting. You should've seen her exorcising me. Fearsome. She scares me more than the boys ever will, and she's not as well-known."

Dean nodded. "Sam and I had the fame, thanks in part to Dad. But Joie, she lets herself be known well enough to get calls for jobs and some respect from other hunters, and hides in the background for the rest. But she's the best of us. Only hunter I know who's gone it alone for years without going nuts."

"Part of 'straddling that line'?" Castiel tried to confirm.

"Yeah."

"So why did she stop hunting with you?"

"She's gone off and on for years." Dean explained. "It all depended on the job and whether or not we called her. She stopped completely after I made my deal."

"She walked away from you?"

"We walked away from her." Dean admitted. "She tried warning us about everything. Ruby. Bela. Who we could and couldn't trust. We didn't believe her, but she never gave up. Eventually, we told her that she could either deal with Ruby or she could leave." Dean grimaced. "She left."

"I remember Ruby laughing about that." Meg piped up. "Said it was hilarious to watch the girl tear you and Sam a new one before storming out."

Dean winced. "Yeah. Jo-Jo's got a harsh tongue when she's pissed."

Castiel nodded, remembering the tongue lashing she'd just given Sam. She had chosen her words carefully, picking the ones that would slice the deepest while making her point known. "How long have you been apart?"

"Four years. Since right before I went to hell." Dean answered.

Meg laughed from the backseat. "That's what you think." She sang under her breath.

Dean whipped his head back. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Meg rolled her eyes at the hunter's obliviousness. "Really Dean? How did you not realize it?"

"Realize what?!"

"You really think you're alive after all this time because of pure luck? That those shots that seemed to come from nowhere and the random people that turned up to save your asses at the last minute were just good timing?"

"Well… Yeah."

Meg rolled her eyes. "Nope. Sorry. That was your little sister. She seems to have a sixth sense for when you're going to die and swoops in to save the day. Even summoned me and sent me after your ass when you found "Emmanuel" here."

Dean blinked. "Seriously?"

"What? You thought I actually talked to enough demons to learn about him? Give me a break."

Dean shook his head and went back to staring out the windshield. This was news to him. He'd always figured Joie had simply washed her hands of them after the showdown with Ruby. To find out she'd been in the shadows saving his ass again and again over the years was kind of… humbling.

Meg smirked in the background. Contrary to popular belief, she was more like what Ruby claimed to be, a demon that remembered what it was to be human. She was self-serving, yes, but she also had enough compassion in her to want those she took under her wing happy. While there didn't seem to be any lingering bitterness between Joie and Dean, things were definitely strained. With Sam gone, they needed to ease that strain. Those two had to be closer than close if they wanted to survive this.

Castiel gazed out the window, watching the reflection of Joie's taillights. The girl was pure. He knew that. In many ways she reminded him of Dean. A more balanced, socially acceptable Dean, but still Dean. He flashed back to the first time he met her. She was not what he had been expecting.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?_**

_12 Days Ago_

Joie paced nervously around her motel room. She had called the supposed-Dean almost two hours ago, telling him her motel name and room number. Right after she had warded the room against everything she could possibly think of. There was no way a monster was getting in.

A knock sounded on the door and Joie immediately gripped her silver knife, pointing it at the entrance. Grabbing flask of holy water in her other hand, she drew in a deep breath and called out, "Enter!"

Joie's heart nearly stopped at the sight of the creature that walked in. He looked exactly like Dean. Down to the verdant eyes and half-smile. Behind him was a dodgy looking man in a dirty trench coat and… institution clothes? She'd seen him before. He'd been around Dean and Sam almost constantly during the past four years, but he'd wore a tax-account suit. Or the creepy sweater and chino combination. That one had made her shudder.

Without hesitating, she splashed the newcomers with holy water, already dropping the first bottle and groping for the container of cleanser before the two men had even began to wipe out the first liquid assault. She quickly tossed out the borax, coating them in the lemony fresh liquid and sighing with relief when they didn't sizzle and burn. All that was left was to cut them.

"Umm… Hi Jo-Jo." The one who looked like Dean sputtered, wiping off the combination of holy water and cleanser. The man in the trench coat simply blinked at her. "It's nice to see you too."

"Shut your mouth and hold out your arms." Joie commanded fiercely. The one theory she had left was the last one to be tested. Both men stuck their right forearms out without hesitation and she quickly drew the blade across their flesh. The skin bled but didn't bubble or sear. They were human.

Joie's eyes filled with tears that she quickly blinked back. Turning from Dean and his friend, she picked up the bottles of holy water and cleanser and poured them over herself before making a small slash on her arm with the knife.

"So," She began, facing them, "are we all satisfied that we're not demons, Leviathans, Shifters, or Ghouls."

Dean smiled. "I'm convinced. Cas?"

The other man cocked his head to the side. "Was I supposed to be in doubt?"

Joie rolled her eyes. Angel. Clueless angel. Great. Walking to Dean, she wrapped him in a hug. "I can't believe your alive big brother. It's been a year."

"I know. Couldn't believe it when I saw the date." Dean murmured into her hair. Neither of them cared that they were dripping with holy water and "Lemon Pine Fresh Floor Cleaner", all that mattered was that they were both safe and together. "How have you been Jo-Jo?"

"Alive. Hunting. The usual." She replied, squeezing tighter. Joie wasn't willing to let Dean go yet. It shouldn't surprise her considering how often her brothers had cheated death before, but it did. Every time it broke her heart and tore at her soul a little more. These were her brothers after all. She loved them more than life.

Dean, seeming to understand her need to hold onto him for a while, to assure herself that he was there, let her hang on. The green-eyed hunter just gave an indulgent smile, burying his face in her hair. "I missed you too Jo-Jo."

Joie pulled back and smiled up at him. "Shut up and introduce me to the hottie."

Dean blanched. "Really Jo-Jo! Gross! Seriously. Don't ever say something like that again!"

"Oh I don't want to hear it Dean Jason Winchester! You used to screw girls in the motel room while Sam and I slept in the next bed! Me saying a random dude is hot hardly compares."

Dean awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't suppose blaming it on being a horny teenager would help?"

"Not in the least." Joie replied, smiling up at her brother mischievously. "Come on." She smacked his chest lightly. "Introduce me to the angel before he petrifies waiting for you to speak."

"How do you know he's an angel?"

Joie rolled her eyes. "The cluelessness helped. Along with the wings."

Dean and Castiel gaped at her. Shuffling lightly, Cas stepped forward. "You can see my wings?"

"Yeah. Why? What's the big deal?"

Dean shook his head. "Jo-Jo. No one sees his wings. I've only seen shadows of them."

Joie shrugged. "More's the pity. They're really beautiful."

Castiel eyed her suspiciously. Compared to his brothers and sisters, his wings were quite plain. "What do they look like?"

"Black and grey with some silver mixed in. And the tips are blue, like your eyes." Joie described immediately, knowing that he was testing her.

Castiel blinked. She wasn't lying. "How do you see them?"

"I don't know." Joie replied honestly. "Maybe it's just a special gift."

"Perhaps." Castiel conceded, though he wasn't quite sure. Empaths and prophets were the only ones who could see wings, and this girl was no prophet. Nor was she an empath, as far as he could tell. "I am Castiel."

"The Angel of Thursday." Joie said, nodding reverently. "That explains your wings."

"How so?"

She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts and ordering them in a way that would make sense. "When I think of Thursdays, I think of dark storm clouds and the bright blue of the sky that breaks through in certain parts, giving you sunshine even as the rain pours over you. A silver lining if you will."

Her explanation left both men gaping again. Dean was the first to recover. "Wow Jo-Jo. That was almost… poetic."

Castiel cleared his throat uncomfortably. No one had ever described his day quite so beautifully. "Quite."

Joie flushed and shrugged. "How do you think I've been paying the bills lately Dean?"

"You've been writing poetry again?" Dean asked, amazed. He'd thought she had given that up years ago along with all her writing. A bad experience with a drunken John had seen to that.

"Not poetry. Novels." She corrected, and Castiel noticed her eyes for the first time. They were a brilliant purple, the color of the sky just before sunrise when the light was barely beginning to touch the horizon. Paired with her black hair and tan skin (He believed the young lady was Hispanic.), it was a striking combination. One that had him enthralled.

"What kind?"

"Smut! Pure smut my dear brother." Joie retorted, laughing. In reality, it was far from the truth. It was stories of what she'd always dreamed of but never had the courage to try for. Stories of love and family and children and brave men who were willing to deal with strange and eclectic women. Stories of normal. The problem was, Joie knew normal wasn't for her. She was a hunter and had been since John Winchester adopted her, and until every evil thing in the world was dead, she would continue to be a hunter. "Anyway, when did you get back?"

"About a week ago. Speaking of which, where's Sam? I've been trying to get ahold of him since the first phone I saw."

Joie grimaced and sat down. "I don't know where he is Dean." She murmured quietly.

Dean took in her downtrodden expression. "What do you mean Joie?"

Joie sighed and motioned for Dean to sit beside her. "Dean, when you went to purgatory, we thought you were dead." Dean nodded. "Sam… Sam felt like he was all alone. He seemed to kind of… give up." Dean opened his mouth, but Joie held up her hand to stop the forthcoming question. "I don't know Dean. He might still be hunting. He might have gone back to school. Hell, he might have just found a job and an apartment and started living an apple pie life. All I know is he was… defeated and he wouldn't let me stay with him."

"Is there any way to find him?" Dean asked desperately, and Joie wrapped an arm around his shoulder, quietly comforting him.

"Maybe, bubba. Maybe. I'll try." She murmured quietly, comforting the older male. As Castiel watched her, he reconsidered his opinion on her being an empath. She seemed to know exactly what to do to calm Dean, without being asked. Where with others, including Sam, people seemed uncomfortable around an upset Dean, this girl didn't hesitate. She knew just when to get close and just when to pull away. Just when to go and grab the hunter a beer and just when to press a kiss to his forehead. Just when to quietly hold him, and just when to pop off and an inappropriate joke. It was an awe inspiring scene.

Slowly, Dean collected himself. Joie gave him one last kiss on the forehead. "Pull yourself together bubba. You gotta be strong if you want to find Sam. Is there any place you know that he would go?"

"Whitefish, Montana." Dean said decisively, already moving. "Rufus has a cabin up there. After Bobby's place…"

"After Bobby's place got firebombed." Joie stated bluntly. "Is that where you went afterwards?"

Dean nodded sadly, caught up in the memory of burning Bobby's flask and Bobby along with it. "Yeah. If Sam's hunkered down somewhere, that's where he is."

"Then let's go." Joie replied, getting up and grabbing her backpack. It was still packed except for what she'd used to test them. She pierced Cas with a hard gaze. "How much of your mojo do you have left?"

"I- Uh- I…" Castiel stuttered, not prepared for the question or the weight of her full glare upon him. "I require another few days of rest. Why?"

Joie sighed. "You boy's stay here then." She replied. "I've got to go rent a car and a trailer."

"Jo-Jo? Why? What's up babe?" Dean asked almost frantically, making a grab for her wrist. _He is scared she will not return!_ Castiel realized with a start. Joie figured that out to and moved quickly to reassure her brother.

"Shh. Shh. It's not what you're thinking Dean-O." She murmured softly, hugging him tightly. "It's just, I drive a motorcycle now. No side-car. So I have to rent a truck for us and trailer for the bike to get us up to Whitefish. If angel-boy had his mojo, I'd have him poof ahead and wait for us, but, as it stands, we're all taking the human way."

Dean relaxed and nodded. "Hurry."

"No issue big brother." Joie replied with a cheeky smile before slipping out the door. "Don't drink all my beer!" She called over her shoulder, earning a chuckle from Dean.

Castiel waited until the sound of her motor faded before speaking to his charge. "She is interesting?"

Dean nodded, collapsing in the bed. "Yeah. Jo-Jo got this way about her."

"Does she really write?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. Used to do it all the time up until high school. She was actually really good."

"Why did she quit?"

"Dad found her spinning a story about one of our hunts into a fiction novel. He was drunk and got pissed. Burned all her stories. Called her a bitch for putting our lives out there even though she hadn't used our names or any of the same details besides what happened with the ghost."

Castiel sucked in a breath. That seemed unusually cruel of John Winchester. Of everything he'd learned of the man, John had seemed harsh and selfish, but not cruel. As if Dean heard his thoughts, the hunter quietly added, "It was the night after Sammy left for Stanford."

"How old was she?"

"Fourteen."

Castiel shook his head. "She was a baby."

Dean laughed. "Yeah. A really smart baby. She didn't even cry. Just watched her notebooks burn and went to bed. Didn't talk to Dad for a month. Made the man beg before she even looked at him again. Dad came home from a hunt with a box full of journals and pencils and Joie's favorite dessert and he apologized again and again. It was an awesome thing to watch. After about thirty minutes of begging she finally gave him a hug. Still took a couple weeks for her to talk to him, but she gave him a hug."

The angel shook his head, easily able to imagine those violet eyes showing her clear wounds while she stayed stonily silent. It was the perfect punishment. Yelling. Screaming. Arguing. That can be combatted with more words. But what do you have that can fight against silence. Yes, she was a really smart baby.

They stayed in the room, chatting about Joie and her early life with the Winchesters, for about thirty minutes before she returned. Smiling triumphantly, she tossed the keys to Dean. "Ready to drive big brother."

Dean caught the keys with ease. "Hell yeah. Let's head north little sister."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?**_

Castiel was pulled out of his musing when the Impala slowed in front of their typical dingy motel. Joie was already off her bike and in the office, smiling and chatting up the clerk as she arranged for their room.

"You do like her, don't ya Clarence." Meg asked quietly, standing beside her angel.

Castiel blinked before nodding slowly, eyes trained on the dark-haired hunter in the office. "She is a special young lady."

"That she is." The demon agreed. "Just be careful about it, ya? She isn't showing it, but Sam walking away is hurting her as much as it hurts Dean. She just knows how to be stronger about it. Plus, big brother is kind of protective, and he's not gonna like you going after his baby sister after everything you've done."

The angel winced at the memory of his sins. He had made mistakes. He had been prideful. Arrogant. And it had resulted in Sam losing his mind and the world nearly being destroyed once again. Not to mention the number of innocent souls, his own brothers and sisters!, that he'd murdered in cold blood. All in the name of "the greater good". "I do not believe a relationship with Joie will be a problem."

Meg smiled at him. Castiel had become the annoying kid brother she'd never wanted in the institution. "And why is that?"

"Because I have no intents on pursuing one." He answered simply.

The demoness rolled her eyes, tempted to smack the feather-brain upside the head. "You're kidding right? I said be careful. I didn't say don't go for it!"

"She has a mission to fulfill at present. She does not need the distraction of a suitor."

Meg really did smack him now. "What the hell Castiel! You know as well as I do how stubborn these Winchesters are. They'll close the hell gates and save the world once and for all, and when that happens, the only mission she'll have is leisurely floating around and killing the monsters that will still pop up on occasion. You might not want to go for her now, but what about then?"

He flushed and ducked his head, brilliant blue eyes cast to the ground. "She deserves better than-"

"Than what? A fallen angel who had saved her brothers' asses more times than she can count? Why? Because you proved that you're imperfect and can make mistakes like a lowly human or demon? Because of what you did in your past? Because if that's the case, then let me tell you sugar, it's not like her past is golden and rainbows. She's fucked up too." She interrupted bitterly, tired of the self-serving pity parties the men she hung around tended to throw themselves into. She wasn't lying. Joie had done things in her past that she regretted bitterly, not the least of which not sticking by her brothers to help them fight against Ruby all those years ago. But she didn't beat herself up about it. She moved on, relaxed and happy in her life.

"Meg. I-"

"Save it Clarence. Company's coming." She held her hand up to silence the angel while gesturing to the two hunters making their way towards them.

Joie smiled widely. "Room 109, around back." She informed them, holding up a key card. "Two beds. Boys bunk up together. Meg, care to be my cuddle buddy tonight?" The young woman asked with a cheeky grin.

Meg laughed and straddled the back of the bike after Joie got on. She didn't want to get back in the car with the Pity Party Duet right now. "For the girl who saved my life, why not? Just no hanky-panky."

Joie laughed and gunned the engine. "Sorry doll, but you're missing a few essential parts for me to be interested."

"Like what? Wings?" Meg muttered under her breath. She hadn't meant for the hunter to hear. Of course, Joie did anyway.

"For starters." Joe replied with a wink over her shoulder.

That one simple action sent Meg tumbling into the memory of Joie and Castiel rescuing her from Crowley just over a week ago.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?_**

**_Author's Note: This next four chapters are going to be the four parts of "8 Days Earlier" or "Meg's Rescue", however you want to look at it. The first three are going to be about Joie and Castiel's role in it and the fourth part is going to be what we saw between Dean and Sam in 8x01 leading up to the search for Kevin with Joie, Cas, and Meg thrown in at the end. Just a to let you know. I've got most of part two written and part three planned. Part four is going to be a little tricky, so bear with me, but I should have them all up by the end of the week._**

_8 Days Earlier: Part One (Joie and Castiel)_

"Oh my god! I refuse! I will never ride in a car with you two for that long ever again! Fuck that shit to hell and back! You two are the most irritating, annoying, maddening, bothersome, exasperating, aggravating-"

"Are these all not just words that mean the same as annoying?" Castiel injected, interrupting Joie's tirade.

Joie's glare would have made a lesser man (and a smart angel) cower. "Shut up feather head! You're not allowed to speak. Either of you. Not for at least a day! I'm am so tired of hearing your voices that I'd rather dunk my head in Leviathan goo and be forced to listen to "It's a Small World After All" play over and over again than hold a conversation with one of you. Seriously! Look Cas, I get that you don't need to sleep. And that you're insatiably fucking curious, but dammit, couldn't you have stopped asking questions for 15 damned minutes?

"And Dean!" She rounded on her brother who was attempting to sneak into the house while she railed at the angel, "Enough with the friggin' smart ass remarks. It's no wonder the damn bird-brain is still so confused if you give him a bullshit answer to every question. And I don't care if you have been in Purgatory for a year, if you eat one more burger and don't start chomping on some vegetables, I'll force feed you dry salad! I swear to God I will. And no! The lettuce and pickles on the burger do not count for your daily veggies!" She said, holding up a hand to forestall his incoming protest. "Neither do the tomatoes and onions."

Dean and Castiel stared at her for a moment as she took in a deep breath and popped in her earphones. Joie rounded the back of the truck and grabbed the extra packs from the bed. Both men stood to the side as she stormed past. The door slammed behind her with a reverberating BANG!

"Is she always so quick to temper?" Castiel asked Dean in a conspiratorial whisper. The angel was eyeing the door as if afraid Joie would storm out and tear into them once again at any second. Knowing Joie, it was more than possible.

Dean shook his head. "Nah. And she'll be over it and apologize by the time we get in there. She's just tired and frustrated and needed to blow off some steam. She doesn't drink like me or Sam, so instead she blows up and listens to some music."

"Why does she not drink? I thought it was an acceptable coping mechanism among humans." Castiel inquired. Dean groaned. Joie was right. The dude asked too many questions. But it was _Cas_!

"She doesn't drink because of Dad." He explained simply, grabbing the last few packs. "Come on. Jo-Jo wants to get the vehicles back to the rental place before it closes."

Castiel followed Dean into the cabin obediently, shielding himself behind the taller man in case the young girl inside was feeling violent. Fortunately, Joie was busy putting away the supplies they had stopped for, still listening to her music, bouncing lightly to the beat. Dean laughed at the familiar scene. He couldn't count the number of times he and John had come home from a hunt to find Sam sprawled out on the couch, earplugs firmly in place, while Joie had the area's mix station on the radio, dancing to whatever tune that came on while she puttered in the kitchen.

Joie turned to look over her shoulder and actually smiled when she saw them. She mouthed "I'm sorry." before turning back to the cupboards, rearranging everything to fit her preferences. It was a forgone conclusion that she would take over the kitchen since Dean couldn't cook worth a damn and no one trusted Cas near a stove.

Castiel blinked, shaking his head. "Are you sure you're sister does not suffer from Bipolar disorder?"

Dean chuckled. "Nah. Bipolar people are up and down, but not so quickly. It takes time, sometimes weeks or months before they make the full cycle from their manic states to their depressive states."

"How do you… Lisa?" Cas asked, guessing at the man's knowledge of the mental illness.

Dean nodded. "Yeah. She was diagnosed right after we got together."

"I'm sorry Dean. If I had known I-"

"Don't worry about it Cas. You had your own shit to deal with."

Castiel nodded sadly, thinking of the beginning of the end, as it were. The war against Raphael, and all it had led to. Briefly, he looked around the cabin, snippets of memory from his time here when he was crazy. He remembered being scared to fight, Dean struggling to keep his patience with him, Meg… Where was Meg? "Dean? What happened to Meg? Shouldn't she have found us by now?"

Dean frowned. Cas was right. The demon should have found them by now. "I don't know Cas. Hold on. Let me get Joie. Maybe she knows something."

He walked into the kitchen, tapping Joie lightly on the shoulder and stepping back quickly to avoid the inevitable swing of the blade. He didn't take it personally. Her training. Jo-Jo smiled apologetically and sheathed her knife. She popped her ear buds out. "What's up big brother?"

"When you talked to Sam, he told you everything right?"

"From the second angel-boy imploded until you stabbed Dick-weed in the neck with the magic bone and got blown to Purgatory."

"What about right after that?"

Joie's brow furrowed. "He mentioned something about having a chat with Crowley."

"Did he say anything about a demon named Meg? Or the prophet Kevin?" Dean asked, praying Joie had the answers. His heart fell when she shook her head no. "Nothing? Nothing at all?"

"Sorry Dean-O. Nothing." She told him quietly, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Are they important?"

"Kevin is a prophet of the Lord able to translate the word of Metatron." Castiel said, stepping into the kitchen area with them. "And Meg is a kind demon who helped me through my psychosis."

"Metatron, psychosis, and kind demon huh? Ok, Sam apparently left shit out. Explain." Joie said, leaning back against the counter.

Dean groaned. "Long or short version?"

"Short."

"Metatron is God's secretary and writes down everything the big guy says. Cas made Sam nuts by breaking down the wall Death put in his head when we dragged his soul out of the pit and, to make amends, Cas took on Sam's loose marbles. Meg is a bitch of a demon that needs Cas to protect her so she stuck by him while he was bonkers to earn his loyalty."

"She's actually very nice." Castiel said, defending his friend. "She puts on a tough front because of the life she's led since becoming a demon. Much as Dean does due to the life he's lived as a hunter."

Joie looked at the angel as if he were still a few cans short of a six-pack. "Wait? Meg? The bitch we exorcised at Bobby's? Short blond hair. Kept trying to kill us?"

"That's the one. We formed a truce." Dean informed her. "She's different now. Dark hair. Round face. Kinda pretty for a black-eyed bitch."

Joie rolled her eyes. "She's helped you?"

"Risked her neck to get us into Sucrocorp to go after Dick."

"Then I'll find her. Along with Sam. And Kevin." Joie said decisively. "But if she puts one toe out of line, I get to exorcise her."

Dean laughed and slung an arm over Joie's shoulders. "Oh honey. Just wait 'til we find Sam. I've got this kick-ass knife that you can use to actually kill demons instead of just sending them back to hell."

"Really."

"Yeah."

"Awesome."

"You have no idea baby girl."

"Umm… Excuse me. I would like to protest Meg's murder in advance." Cas put in, ineffectually.

Joie just rolled her eyes. "Sure feather-head. I'll keep that in mind."

"So how are you going to find them all Joie?" Dean asked excitedly.

Joie shrugged, going over to her bag and pulling out a laptop. She plugged it into a nearby wall socket and booted it up. "At that last diner we stopped at, when you two were busy arguing over whether or apple or blueberry pie was better, I started a trace program for all of your and Sammy's aliases."

"Why mine?" Dean asked uncomfortably.

"Because now that he thinks you're dead, he might use one in your memory. Sam's kinda sentimental you know." Joie explained patiently, typing furiously. "I also added some new ones that I thought he might switch too. He said something about you being found with some of the old ones, so he might be smart and try to be cautious. Hopefully we'll get a ping on-" _Ping! Ping! Pingpingpingpingping!_ The computer started going off and Joie seemed to attack it.

"Jo-Jo? What's going on?" Dean asked cautiously, edging around the computer to see what was happening.

"I've got a hit on one of the aliases I thought Sam might use. A lot of hits. He's been a busy boy. Grocery stores. Movie rentals. Clothing store. All in the same town. And I've got a phone number."

"What name is he using?"

"Dean Moore."

"Me and…"

"Jessica. Yeah big brother. Like I said, sentimental." Joie said, waving off the nostalgia. She wrote ten digits down on a piece of paper. "Anyway, here's the number. It's the only one we know will work for sure."

Dean smiled gratefully, giving her a hug. "Thanks Jo-Jo."

Joie smiled at him. "No problem Dean-O. Now for the other two. Meg, because she's a demon, I can just cast a simple tracking spell. Kevin, as a prophet, will be harder. How much angel mojo have you got bird-boy?"

Cas looked at her belligerently. He was getting tired of her calling him things that involved avian creatures and parts of his anatomy. "Why?"

"I was just wondering if you could pop upstairs and talk to his guardian." Joie said, raising her hands in surrender. "From what I've read, all prophets have one, right?"

Castiel flushed and looked at the floor. "I am not welcome in heaven Joie."

"Why not?"

Dean stepped between Joie's penetrating violet gaze and his guardian. "It's a long story Jo-Jo. Suffice to say, that's not an option. What else have you got?"

Joie shrugged. "Sam. He was the last to see him."

Dean nodded. "I'll call Sam. You two cast the tracking spell."

Joie nodded and walked to the chest in the corner. "Knowing Rufus, everything I need should be in here."

"Hop to it. We need our team sugar."

"We'll get 'em bubba. Promise. Come here Cas. I need your help and you can tell me why your pissed at me while we're rummaging for ingredients." Joie said, already kneeling in front of the chest.

Castiel sputtered. "I am… Ms. Winchester… I…" He sucked in a deep breath. "I am not upset with you Joie."

She sent him a brilliant smile over her shoulder. "Sure Cas. Come help would you?"

"Of course." Cas replied, moving toward her automatically. Her smile had left him momentarily befuddled, as well as her immediate knowledge that he had been irritated with her. The empath theory gained more and more credence. "What am I to search for?"

"Well I need yarrow flower and…"

_**~*~Review please. I have a strong since of responsibility to the readers. The more readers I get the faster I'm compelled to write because I don't like making y'all wait. Not that the follows and favorites don't do the same thing. Reviews just give me an opinion in your own words. Oh, and doesn't show that I have reviews until someone with account posts one. So if you leave me a comment under the title "Guest" and I don't respond on the next chapter I post, it's not because I'm ignoring you. It's because I probably can't read it yet. Just as a head's up.~*~**_


	7. Chapter 7

**_Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?_**

**_Wulfgirl347: I'm so glad you like it so far! And that you like Joie! Many people don't like stories with OC's involved (myself included, as hypocritical as that is), so to know that she is your favorite character is a huge honor to me! It took three days, but here's not one, not two, but THREE updates for you my dear. Lol._**

**_Amaya479: I hope it only gets better for you. I've liked Meg as a good foil for Dean ever since I saw her in season 7. She's a demon, yeah, but at least she's honest about who she is, what she wants and why she's doing it. Right now I'm just hoping I don't get too out of character with her._**

**_Author's Note: I lied about how I set up part four. I'm sorry. I really meant to write it out the way I said I would, but then I actually started writing and something completely different popped out. Read on to find out. Hope I don't disappoint y'all too much._**

_8 Days Earlier: Part 2_

Joie stood back and surveyed her work with proud eyes. It was ready. It had taken three hours and numerous check overs, going back to correct some of Castiel's work (not that it was really wrong. She was just a perfectionist.) but they were ready to track Meg. Briefly, she surveyed the men in the room.

Dean sat on the couch, beer in hand, catching up to what he's missed in _Dr. Sexy M.D._ since he'd been in purgatory. She smiled at the sight. Her brother's obsession with the soap opera had always been a mystery to her, but it made him happy. He was more relaxed than she'd seen him since he'd returned, and had even given into her request to eat a semi-healthy meal with broccoli. The fact that there had also been a steak and loaded mashed potatoes with the promise of apple pie for dessert if he cleaned his plate was in no way a bribe on her part in order to make him eat his vegetables. Not at all. She laughed lightly.

She wanted to go over a sit next to him on the couch. Maybe grab one of her books from her pack and read while he watched the god-awful TV show. It was a ritual from when they were younger after particularly bad hunts. Dean on one end of the couch with a beer, watching the TV, Sammy on the other end with his computer and music, and Joie in the middle with her book, head tucked under Dean's arm, feet resting comfortably in Sam's lap. In the end, it was only the thought of Sam that stopped her. It wouldn't be right without the third part to their sibling trio there with them. Just like it hadn't been right after Sam left for college.

Sighing, she turned her eyes to Castiel. The angel was sitting cross-legged on the desk in the corner, pouring over an old book of Bobby's about plants and their supernatural uses. He looked… cute, dammit. He looked cute like that, bright blue eyes devouring the page while dark brown, almost black hair threatened to fall in his eyes. He reminded her of a lost puppy. One that she wanted to take in her arms and hold. Except she didn't want to make-out with lost puppies, and she definitely wanted to make out with the angel. _You are a sick child Joie._ Her inner voice told her. _He's an angel. Of the Lord. He probably doesn't even know what sex and attraction are, much less be able to feel them. You'd probably scar the poor thing for life if he knew what you were thinking._

Joie couldn't help it though. He was hot. The eyes, the hair, the innocence and naiveté that surrounded him like a shield. And the wings! She really wanted to touch them. To run her fingers through them and see if they were as soft as they looked. Groaning silently, she shook herself out of her thoughts. Really, she ought to write a paranormal romance next. Just get all her dirty thoughts about a certain sexy angel out on paper and hopefully forget about them.

"Oi! Cas! You ready to find your girlfriend?" She shouted, reminding herself forcefully that, even if Castiel was up for a few rounds of hot and heavy, there was another woman out there that he definitely wanted back.

Castiel pulled himself out of his book and looked toward the female hunter. Shaking his head, he was tempted to dive straight back into his book. Dean would kill him if he knew about even half the fantasies Castiel had created involving the young woman while he was "reading". The last thing he needed was to slip up and alert Joie to his feelings. He did not wish to make her uncomfortable, and, considering he and Dean had filled her in on his past actions while she cooked supper and prepared the spell, there was no way the girl would be comfortable around him if she knew he wished biblical knowledge of her. Unfolding his legs from the desk, he dropped to the floor. "She is not my girlfriend, at least not in the manner you mean. She is a friend. And a girl. But we have no romantic feeling for each other. I believe I remind her of the little brother she sold her soul to save."

Dean whipped his head around. "What?"

Castiel cocked his head in Dean's direction. "Did she never tell you how she became a demon?" Dean shook his head. "She sold her soul during the reign of the Black Plague in England. Her brother contracted the disease, and she sold her soul to Crowley personally in order to save him. Her younger brother was the only family she had. She even turned to prostitution in order to care for him after her parents perished from the disease. When he contracted it, she spoke to a woman whose husband had miraculously recovered. The woman told her how to perform a crossroads deal, and Meg did it without hesitation. Like you Dean, she would have done anything for her brother. She just didn't have an angel to pull her out before she went completely dark." Castiel finished with what was obviously a slight bit of censure.

Joie giggled as her big brother gaped. Apparently Dean wasn't expecting to have something in common with the demon. She was also strangely impressed with Castiel. He had effectively chastised her brother for his judgment of Meg without ever raising his voice. Maybe she should take lessons from him.

"How do you know all this?" Dean finally asked.

Castiel shrugged. "I could hear and see while in my catatonic state. I just could not will my body to respond. Meg spoke to me quite a bit during that time. Actually, she was a chatterbox. That was one of the many things she told me during our time together."

Joie smiled, shaking her head. "Ok Dean." She said, stepping in before her brother could pepper Castiel with more questions. "Save them for the demon herself please."

Dean nodded dully, still obvious reeling from the new information. "Yeah. Sure. It's just… I thought demons couldn't remember anything from when they were human."

"Wasn't that something Ruby told you?" Joie asked harshly. Dean nodded. "So we should believe that because…"

Her brother winced. "Good point."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright. Now that the Meg Q&A is over with for the moment, Cas, come here."

Castiel moved next to her. "Yes Joie?"

"I need your hands." Joie replied, giving him a mischievous smile. She was not, however, repaired for the response.

"Should I cut above or below the wrist?" Castiel asked, holding his hands out. The question was said in such a dead-pan monotone that she actually thought he was serious. Only Dean could see the impish glint in the angel's eyes.

The hunter rolled back on the couch, getting the reference that Cas was making. "Dude! I'm so proud of you! You actually watched a movie! And remembered it!"

Castiel smiled widely. "It was during my stay with Meg. She insisted it was an excellent movie. While slightly disturbing, the doctor was incredibly brilliant and actually capable of feeling, unlike true sociopaths."

Joie blinked. "_Hannibal_?! Seriously! So… what? You're Dr. Lector and I'm Clarice now?" She exclaimed, the reference finally sinking in. She cringed. She should've seen it from the get-go. She was the horror movie junkie in her family after all.

Castiel laughed. "Just trying to diffuse the situation Joie." He replied nonchalantly. "I was told that these rituals work better when feeding off calm emotions."

"Yeah, well, last I checked, shocking the hell out of someone doesn't exactly promote tranquility."Joie replied, the smile on her face softening the word's blow. "Come here. I need you to hold the bowl and pour a little angel mojo into it."

"How come Jo-Jo?" Dean asked, coming to stand near the bowl. "We've done demon tracking spells before, all we needed was a few drops of the caster's blood."

Joie nodded while setting up the matches and pure powdered sulfur (as in collected straight from a demon), along with salt and iron. "For our normal tracking spells, that's all it takes. But I found this a few years ago in Bobby's library. It's supposed to be more powerful than the typical one we use, and I never thought I'd get the chance to use it since it needed the grace of a fallen angel. However, we've got Cassie here, so I figured Hey! Let's give it a shot!"

Castiel shook his head. "Always a tool for the Winchesters."

She scowled at him, popping his hand lightly. "You're not a tool. You're an asset. And my brother's guardian. And part of the friggin' family. So stop with the self-depreciation."

"Yes ma'am"

Joie rolled her eyes. "Great. I've got an eons old angel calling me 'ma'am'. I don't feel old at all."

Dean and Cas chuckled at her put-out expression. "Maybe it's just because you're so freaking scary Jo-Jo." Dean quipped.

"Oh yes. Positively frightening. I'm a death threat to bunnies." Joie replied drolly, baring her teeth in a playful manner.

"And to shifters." Castiel piped. "Dean tells me you specialize in hunting them."

She shrugged uncomfortably. "They killed my family. I kill them. A kind of pointless revenge cycle. But it means the bad ones can't keep on hurting others."

"The bad ones? Is there any such thing as a good one Joie?" Dean asked, only half joking.

Joie pierced him with a steely glare. "Yeah. There is Dean. I met one three months ago in Lubbock. She took the form of a girl who had been killed in a car accident. Lived her life like the girl. Gave the girl's family their daughter back, went to college like a normal human, and didn't do anything but try to live her life. Maybe you think it's bad because she's impersonating someone, but when she told me about the girl's family and how she had been their only child after trying for years, I just couldn't kill her. She was trying to do good, trying to live with what she was even while trying to make life a little easier for someone else. She wasn't evil, just different. Kind of like that vamp you and Sammy let go."

"That was different! She wasn't hurting anyone!"

"And who was my shifter hurting?!"

"How about that family? If they ever found out-"

"But they won't!" Joie cried, stomping her foot in frustration. "Shifter's absorb everything! Looks! Habits! Memories! Everything! This way they at least get to have their daughter when otherwise they'd have nothing! After John and Bobby, how can you deny them that?"

Dean stiffened at the mention of his biological and foster fathers. "That was low Joie."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "That was relevant Dean. You're just mad because I put it in perspective for you."

He rolled his eyes and looped an arm around Joie's neck. "Yeah," He murmured, kissing her hair, "Like I said, low."

"As much as I'm enjoying this ethical debate, the longer we go without Meg finding us, the more worried I become." Castiel interjected, silently wondering at the burning feeling in his gut when he saw Dean kiss the top of Joie's head. "May we please continue?"

Joie pulled out from under Dean's arm. "Sure. No problem. Set your hands on the bowl Cas."

Dean stepped back and the angel complied, placing his hands on either side of the bowl. Joie laid her hands over Castiel's. "Ok, now Cas I just need you to pour some of your grace into the bowl. Focus on the yarrow flowers. They're the important bit."

He obeyed and made the petals of the small yellow flowers open and close. Joie saw nodded approvingly. "Ok. Dean, as soon as I finish the chant. Toss in the salt and a lit match." Dean nodded. "Here we go.

"_Duc nos ad daemon qui se dicit Meg Masters. Ostende nobis eam physica locus. Mali et aperiant viam illam_."Joie chanted three times, her voice weak at first and growing stronger with each passing repetition. As soon as she finished third rotation, Dean tossed in the salt and a match. The entire table, not just the bowl of ingredients, went up in green flames. Joie and Cas resolutely kept their hands in the fire, letting the flames lick at their skin. As quickly as it had lit up, the table extinguished, leaving on its surface a charred location and a string of numbers.

"Red Mesa, Arizona." Joie read out dispassionately.

"What are the numbers?" Castiel asked.

Joie glanced at the string. "I'm not sure. That's never happened with a tracking spell before."

"Well you said this one was supposed to be more powerful, right?" Dean asked. "Maybe it's a more exact location."

"Like GPS coordinates?" Joie asked, excitement growing in her gaze. Normally, after a tracking spell, they would go to the town and have to spend days, sometimes weeks, searching for the person. If this gave an exact location, maybe down to the house of warehouse they were hiding in, then they would be able to find Meg and get her home in no time!

"Only one way to find out. Type it into the computer. See if it pops up even anywhere near Red Mesa." Dean suggested logically, and Joie hastened to do just that. Sure enough, several keyboard clicks and a few mumbled curse words later and Joie was jumping excitedly.

Running across the room, she threw herself at Castiel, enveloping him in a tight hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I swear, if you weren't an angel I'd kiss you right now!"

She let go as abruptly as she'd latched on and ran over to Dean. "Come look Bubba! It's amazing! Down to the lot she's in! Street view even shows what the house looks like!"

"How long before we can leave to go get her?" Castiel asked, watching Joie give Dean a rapid fire explanation of what he was seeing on the computer screen. His body felt uncomfortably tight from where she had been pressed against him. It was akin to the odd stirring he'd felt in his body when he'd watched that movie with the pizza boy and the housewife in it.

Joie tensed at this and looked at Dean questioningly. They seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes, leaving Castiel feeling very out of place. He'd seen similar actions between Dean and Sam, though the brothers could converse for hours without ever saying a word. The bond was weaker between Joie and Dean, and they stopped after a few minutes.

"I don't think I can do this Dean." Joie whispered quietly. "I'm the brains. You and Sammy are the brawn."

Dean scoffed. "Jo-Jo, you've hunted alone for years and survived. That right there proves you've got the brawn."

"I never took the dangerous shit that you and Sam did! I stuck to salt-and-burns and shifters. The occasional vampire's nest if I met up with a group of hunters. Anything else I took on was when you called me!"

"But you still survived. And you hunt shifters! Do you think shifters are easy to take out? Those things are fucking vicious!"

"No shit Sherlock! But John taught me about shifters! Everything about them! He even talked Bobby into giving me a shit ton of books on them! Plus, you and he specialized my training specifically for shifters after Sammy left! I would've died by now if it wasn't for that!"

"You're going to be with an angel Jo-Jo! If you run into trouble, all he has to do is touch the monster and it dies!" Dean yelled, fed up with Joie's excuses.

"Is he even at full power?" Joie asked gesturing towards Castiel wildly.

Castiel narrowed his eyes. "_He _is standing right here and yes, _his _grace is fully charged. Why will only one of you be going with me?"

"One of us needs to stay behind in case Sammy shows up." Joie explained, still glaring at her brother. "Dean wants to stay behind because he hasn't seen Sammy in a year. I want to stay behind because I'm more of a hindrance than help on this kind of hunt. But Dean here," She pointed accusingly at the green-eyed hunter, "seems to believe that just because I know how to kill shifters means I'll stand a chance against demons!"

"You held your own against Meg the first time around!" Dean exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"You and Sam captured her! I just read the exorcism!"

"You still held your own! And you'll have Cas! He'll be the brawn this time!"

"Dammit Dean! You need two strong hunters to go in there! We have no idea what we'll be walking into! All we know is it's probably not good because, let's face it, IT NEVER IS!"

"ENOUGH!" Cas yelled, appearing between the two hunters that had gotten progressively closer as the yelling got louder. "You!" He poked Dean in the chest. "Stop pushing your sister! And you!" He whirled around, poking Joie. "You're coming with me. All of Crowley's demons will know and recognize your brother. They'll have Meg out of there before we can get near her. We need someone unknown who can get close without registering as a threat."

Dean's mouth was gaping open in shock before he burst into laughter. "Damn Cas!" He said, clapping the angel on the shoulder. "I didn't think you had it in you!"

Cas sent a withering glare over his shoulder. "After everything else I've done, you didn't think I'd be able to stand between a petty sibling squabble?"

Joie smirked. "He's always been a little dense."

"Do not start Joie. Are you ready to go?" Castiel asked the little huntress grumpily.

"Give me fifteen minutes. If I have to go to be slaughtered then I'm going to at least put up a fight." She replied, grabbing her pack and pulling out a squirt bottle and box of bullets. "Hey Dean, can I borrow the Berretta?"

"Where's yours?"

"Long story. Suffice to say, Florida swamps and pissed off ghosties don't mix well." Joie said distractedly, catching the gun Dean tossed to her and loading it with iron rounds. "Hey, dig in that small bag under the windowsill and toss me the amber rosary."

"Still have about ten thousand rosaries then?"

"Still complaining when they've saved your ass on more than one occasion?" Joie returned, catching the necklace as it flew at her and dropping it in the squirt bottle.

"Why do you have so many?" Castiel asked, irritation gone now that Joie and Dean had stopped yelling at each other."

She carefully poured leftover holy water into the squirt bottle and finished filling the bottle. "Different rosaries made of different stones for different uses. Amber is a strong protective stone and the holy water I just added to this bottle was made with a rosary of bloodstone and an old gravestone."

"Victory and death?" He was seeking confirmation.

"Yep." Joie assured him. "Most think holy water is holy water, but the type of blessing you use on it and the type of rosary you use affects its potency and uses. For example, holy water made with amethyst is more likely to just make your demons a little cuddlier while holy water made with a rosary of peridot will make them a sleepy."

"And the one you're making will…?"

"Hopefully, gravely injure any rogue demons, help us achieve our goal, and keep us from getting injured." She finished blessing the bottle. Standing, she tucked it into a pouch and slid the strap up her leg, firmly attaching it to her thigh. Joie grabbed two large drawstring purses filled with salt and goofer dust and hooked them to her belt loops before sliding the gun into the back of her jeans and doing a double check to make sure the knives in her boot and on her wrist were still in place. "Ok. Ready to go bird-boy."

"Joie. If you insist on calling me that I will be forced to leave you to your own devices against any demons we come across." Castiel warned.

"If she comes back with even one hair on her head injured, you'll pay for it Castiel." Dean growled, pulling his sister into a possessive hug. "Be nice to him Jo-Jo." He whispered quietly in her ear. "He just wants his friend back. Sam and I weren't the greatest to him."

"I'll be good to your angel Dean-O." Joie promised. "That's not to say I won't be clinging to the back of that trench coat and using him as a shield, but I'll bring him back alive. With or without the demon."

"Thanks Jo-Jo."

Joie smiled sadly at her brother. She could tell something was bothering him. Something about the way he had treated Castiel. From what she'd heard, the angel had done a lot of fucked up shit the past couple years, but he had had good intentions. Unfortunately, Joie knew better than anyone that good intentions wouldn't mean a hill of beans to Dean in a temper. No doubt things were said and done that he now wished he could take back. Determined to help her brother make things right, for his peace of mind if nothing else, she pulled away and walked over to the angel.

Without a word, Castiel wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Joie mentally told herself to breathe and calm her nerves. She needed to be focused for what they were about to do. Unconsciously, she gripped the base of Castiel's wings as he prepared to take them to Meg. Castiel smiled at the touch, holding her a little closer as they transported, heart light with the knowledge that there was still one Winchester that trusted him.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?_**

_8 Days Earlier: Part 3_

Joie broke away from Cas and stumbled to the nearby bushes, retching violently, as soon as they stopped. Dinner came back with a vengeance and Joie could factually state that it tasted much better going down than it did coming up. She felt a nudge at her shoulder and looked up the see Castiel holding a bottle of water down to her, his gaze worried. She smiled shakily before doubling back over, acidic green bile bubbling out now that her stomach was empty of food. It was a horrible feeling, one she would have gladly done without.

"I take it your stomach does not take well to travel then?" Castiel asked gently, after Joie hadn't vomited for several moments. Seeing her hands still shaking, he opened the water for her, and she gulped greedily, desperate to wash the sour taste from her mouth.

Joie stumbled over to the curb and sat down heavily, hanging her head between her knees. When the world stopped spinning and she didn't feel like she was going to expel every ounce of fluid in her stomach, she raised her head. "I think it's just angel travel Cas. I don't have this problem on things with wheels."

Castiel nodded and sat beside her cautiously. "Do you believe it's just the work of the travel, or could it be a stomach virus?"

"Probably just the travel. I felt fine before we flew off. Why?"

"It seems that your blood sugar is a bit low, probably a result of the transport as well." He pointed to her shaking hands. "It would be a good idea to try to boost your levels before we collect Meg. I need you to be able to fight with me, and having you shaking or possibly passing out would be dangerous."

She turned her head, laying it on her knee. "Thanks for the concern Cas. But I'm shaky from puking my guts up, not from low blood sugar. Just give me a few more minutes to recover and I'll be right as rain." She groaned, rubbing at her temple lightly. "And after that we need to get home so I can down some Advil. My head is killing me."

Castiel reached out and brushed his fingers along her temple. Instantly, the headache was gone as was any lingering nausea. Joie smiled at him gratefully. Unable to resist the insecure look in his eyes, silently asking if he did the right thing, Joie leaned over and kissed his cheek. A silent reaffirmation that he was still good.

"For a fallen angel, you're a sweetheart Castiel." She whispered, pulling herself off the curb. She reached her hand down to him, offering to help him up. Blue eyes twinkling happily, he accepted the offer. "So how far are we from the house?"

"It's just around the corner. That fence," He pointed to a rather nasty looking bit of chain-link, "marks the back edge of the property."

Joie nodded, eyes roving over the dusty "yard". There was absolutely no cover. No way to sneak in. "Ok, so how are we going to play this then?"

She watched, mesmerized, as Castiel gave her a mischievous smile and poofed away. Less than thirty seconds later, he was back. "There were four demons guarding the house. They're dead now. Meg is in the basement with two more demons as guards and the room is warded with Enochian sigils. I cannot get in."

"My turn, huh?" Joie asked sardonically, already scaling the metal barrier. "Right. You said two demons?"

"That is correct."

"Then I need a favor of you."

**_~*~FINDING~*~YOURSELF~*~_**

Joie ran pell-mell down the stairs, determined to attract as much attention as possible. Reaching the door to the basement room, she burst in and immediately splashed holy water in a wide arc across the room, silently praying Cas would forgive her for splashing some on his girlfriend.

She watched the demons sizzle and burn just long enough to ensure that they saw her and would come after her, before turning on her heel and running, literally, for her life. Skidding into the upstairs kitchen, Joie made a beeline for the left, the sounds of footsteps trampling behind her. A hand swiped at the backend of her ponytail and she silently cursed, putting on more speed.

_Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Move a little faster Joie girl! _She mentally screamed when she felt something clasp the back of her shirt. Acting quickly, the brunette did a tuck-and-roll, successfully dragging the demon down with her and shaking him loose at the same time. She army-crawled under the coffee table. Joie flipped on her back and using every ounce of strength she possessed, she flipped the table up and into the second attacker.

"Now Cas!" She screamed, with both demons successfully distracted. The angel appeared in a split second and grabbed both of Crowley's men in a death lock. Joie ducked her head at the bright blue light that screamed from the demons' mouth and eyes. It wasn't until she heard the two heavy thuds hit the floor behind her that she looked up. The slightly smoking carcasses of the formerly possessed turned her stomach.

Castiel, seeing the revulsion in the young huntress's eyes, pulled her to her feet and buried her face in his chest. "I'm sorry Joie. It had to be done."

Joie nodded, gripping the front of Castiel's trench coat until her knuckles turned white. "I know." She murmured. "I know. I just hate it. They were innocent. The humans. I wish there was a way they didn't have to die."

"Father has a good place for them in heaven." He tried to reassure her. She flinched against him and he couldn't help but mirror the action. The words sounded hollow, even to his own ears.

"Great for you father." She replied. The words didn't sound condemning or disdainful like they would have coming from Dean. Just empty. A statement of fact. "Come on. Let's go get Meg and get home before Crowley decides to come check on his captive."

Castiel nodded and reluctantly released her. It had seemed right, holding her against him. Giving her comfort. "Lead the way Joie."

She grimaced and stepped around him, leaping slightly to get over the bodies. Cautiously, she made her way down the stairs. Six demons just seemed a little too easy. But then again, Crowley believed that Castiel, the only one who would care about saving Meg, was safely locked away in Purgatory, so perhaps the light security was plausible.

They made their way down the stairs once again, Joie in the lead. The door at the bottom had been left open, and for the first time both hunter and angel stopped to take in exactly what they were seeing.

Meg sat in the center of the room, bound to a wooden rickety chair. She appeared to be sleeping, though Joie could still see the slight steam rising from where a bit of holy water accidently had hit her. The demoness must be in bad shape for it still to be affecting her. Quickly, Joie moved into the room and grabbed the knife from her wrist slashing through the binding. Unprepared for the sudden slump of Meg's body, she had to move quickly to catch the demon before she hit the floor. Meg moaned at the contact, and Joie felt a gauntness about the woman's body the told her the host had been starved for long periods of time. _She's probably only been fed enough to keep her alive._ Joie thought bitterly, overcome, for the millionth time in her life, with disgust at the depravity of some beings, human and supernatural alike.

"Meg? Meg?" She whispered, kneeling in front of the unconscious body. "I need you to wake up sweetie. There's an old friend here who really wants to help you, but he can't do that if you're asleep. Isn't that right Cas?"

Castiel was standing in the doorway, unable to come any closer due to the wards. "Wake up Meg. We're getting you out of here, but you must be awake."

Meg mumbled incoherently at the sound of Castiel's voice. Joie arched a brow. "I think she recognizes your voice Cas. Keep talking."

"What do I say?"

"Anything? I just need her alert enough to support a bit of her weight so we can get from here to you. I'm not strong enough to carry her as dead weight."

Castiel took a deep breath. "Meg. Please wake up. I want to take you away from here. Somewhere safe. Just as you protected me when I was… less than sane. I wish to repay that debt, but you must wake up. Do you remember when I came to get you after we left the institution? Do you remember how furious you were? But in the same breath you stood between Dean's temper and my fragile state. You were instrumental in my recovery. You became my friend Meg. I would like to have my friend back. I would like to get you away from this place and Crowley. I care for my friends Meg. I try to protect them. And until now I have failed miserably. I have allowed Dean and Samuel to be hurt many times over. I myself have hurt and betrayed them. I have killed my brothers and sisters, murdered my garrison, and allowed my pride to control me, ensuring I disappointed everyone I came into contact with. You are the only person I have yet to fail. I do not wish to start now. Please Meg. Wake up."

"Enough with the sap Clarence." Meg mumbled, rolling her head back. "I'm awake."

The angel felt his knees weaken with relief. "Can you move Meg? At least with help? Joie is here to get you out of the room."

The demoness smirked at the angel in the doorway. "Joie huh? Replace me already babe? I'm insulted."

Joie wanted to laugh at the demon's wit, but now was not the time. "Tease him later chick. We've got to get you out of here." She ordered, slinging Meg's arms around her shoulders and standing, pulling the demoness with her. "And trust me, I'm far from a replacement. Just less notorious than my idgit brother."

Meg chuckled and stood on shaky legs, almost collapsing against the huntress. "And who might you be?"

"The little sister of a friend of angel-boy." Joie replied, hoping above hope the demon wouldn't recognize her just yet. She started the laborious trek across the room, practically dragging Meg with her.

"You look familiar." The black-eyed woman said, appraising Joie's looks while trying to force her weak and numb legs move with the huntress's steady pace.

"I should." Joie grunted, practically lunging the last few steps. Castiel caught both women and pulled them up against him. "I'm Dean and Sam's little sister."

There wasn't time to say anything else. Castiel pushed them through space and time, determined to get them home. Still, he couldn't deny the bolt of joy he felt having Meg back by his side and Joie in his arms once again. Silently, he prayed to his father that the women wouldn't give each other cause to attempt violence against the other. Glancing down at Meg's face that had been frozen in shock and anger, he had a sinking feeling that wouldn't be the case.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?_**

_8 Days Earlier: Part 4_

Joie tore herself away from Castiel and Meg, stumbling around the side of the house and vomiting, yet again. It sucked. She truly hated this. The water she had drunk early came back with a vengeance and she sardonically wondered if it was revenge of the H20 particles. _All that water I wasted in hour-long showers is suddenly coming back to haunt me._

Acting on instinct, Castiel called for Dean even as he maneuvered Meg up the stairs. To his surprise, both Winchester brothers came out. _Note to self, the Winchester siblings have a magical bond that lets them know when one is coming_.

Dean stopped and stared at Castiel and Meg. "You got her. Good. Where's Jo-Jo?" The green-eyed hunter asked. Sam shot his brother a look of annoyance that clearly translated into Dean hadn't told Sam Joie was around.

Castiel jerked his head at the side of the house. "Your sister's stomach seems to take exception to my method of travel. She is heaving at present."

The brother's didn't need to be told anymore. In an instant, Dean was off the porch and around the house, taking care of his little sister, while Sam helped Castiel carry Meg up the stairs.

"I can get her inside on my own Samuel." Castiel told the tall hunter gently. "I'm sure your sister is anxious to see you."

"She won't be after Dean tells her what I've been doing this past year." Sam mumbled, lowering Meg to the couch.

The demon chuckled, letting her eyes flash black for a moment. "Aw. Did little Sammy disappoint his family yet again?"

"Considering it was my family that just stepped up to save your ass, I'd shut up Meg." He replied tartly, frowning darkly. Castiel immediately moved to stand in between his friends.

"Not thanks to you Sammy. Where have you been that past year while Crowley decided to try his hand at waterboarding?" Meg called out from behind her angel protector. Said heavenly being spared her a glance over his shoulder before situating himself more firmly between her and Sam.

"Go see your sister Samuel. I'm sure she will be more understanding than Dean." The angel ordered softly. He had no desire to start playing referee this early on into Meg's recovery. Sam glared down at angel for a moment but huffed and headed outside.

"Thanks Clarence." Meg drawled from behind him. Castiel sighed and collapsed on the couch next to her.

"Must you antagonize the Winchesters so soon after your rescue?" He asked her.

"I wasn't antagonizing the Winchesters. I was antagonizing Sammy. I fully intend to thank Dean."

"And Joie?"

"I intend to ignore her."

"She saved you."

"She's also exorcised me."

"When you were trying to kill her brothers?"

"Yes."

"And what did you do to protect your brother?"

Meg was silent for a long moment. "That was a low blow Clarence."

Castiel smirked, nudging Meg softly. "I learned from the best. Are you tired Meg?"

"No. A bit of food and being able irritate Dean and Sam once again should perk me up in no time."

The angel sighed, giving up on his petulant friend. It was in her nature. Just as attempting to do good was in his. "Shall I make you a bowl of that cereal you seem to like? Joie bought some. I believe she enjoys it as well."

"Cookie Crisp! Hell yeah! Bring on the milk and spoon Clarence!"

**_~*~FINDING~*~YOURSELF~*~_**

Joie and Dean had just stumbled around to the porch when Sam stepped outside. The reactions from the giant's siblings were a mixed as they could get. Dean glowered menacingly, lowering Joie onto the bottom porch step softly before positioning himself in such a way that he was slightly between the middle and youngest child of the Winchester clan. Joie, on the other hand, lit up in a bright smile and as soon as Dean let her go, struggled to her feet and up the stairs, wrapping Sam in a tight hug.

"I missed you Sam-I-Am." She mumbled into his chest, squeezing as hard as she possibly could. Sam grinned down at his little sister, returning the embrace with just as much ferocity as she.

"Missed you to Jo-Jo. Sorry about… well, after. I needed to get my head on straight." He whispered.

Joie sensed he was upset about something, and it wasn't turning away from her last year after bringing the news of Dean's "death". "It's fine bubba. I get it. But I do expect full reports on what you've been doing this past year."

"He hasn't been doing shit!" Dean exploded from behind them, and the brunette huntress heaved in a big sigh. _And it begins_. She thought sarcastically. _Back 15 minutes and I'm going to be a referee. Where exactly did I put that black-and-white striped shirt?_ "All he's been doing for the past year is being normal!"

Joie rolled her eyes. She, above all, saw both sides of the coin when it came to her brothers and their opinions on "normal". She knew why Sammy wanted it. _Craved_ it. It was a missing piece that they'd never had in their lives. But she knew, and agreed with, Dean's point of view as well. People would die if they didn't do what they do. It might not be their job to save the world (though Sam and Dean had three times now), but it was their job to try and save as many people as they could. _If it is within your power to do good and you stand aside and do nothing, you might as well be doing evil._

"I wasn't doing "nothing" Dean! I just wasn't hunting!" Sam yelled from behind her, and Joie shifted in front of him a little more in case either of her brothers fully blew their tops and decided to try and tackle one another. It was an annoying habit of theirs. Yell, fight, give each other the silent treatment for a few days/weeks/months, and apologize. Then the next time Sammy does something besides hunt and chase women (or does it in a way Dean doesn't approve of) or Dean puts himself in a dangerous situation because he won't trust Sam with the info, the cycle begins again. It was annoying as hell.

Dean visibly bristled at Sam's use of the words "just". "Yeah! You _just _weren't hunting! You _just_ weren't protecting Kevin when he _needed_ you! You _just_ left Meg alone to go through God-knows-what after everything she did to help us! You _just_ weren't searching for me _or_ Cas, leaving us in Purgatory with a bunch of baddies that _we put in there_! You were _just_ ignoring the ghosts and ghouls and other monsters out there that eat people on a daily basis _hoping_ some other hunter would come along and take care of it! People died, _Kevin is probably dead!,_ because of what you were _just_ doing!"

"It's not my life without you Dean! When you're gone, I'm not a hunter!" Sam exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "I never wanted to be. I still don't want to be. But I will stick by you. So here I am. Now let's go get Kevin so we can stop this bullshit arguing!"

Joie stopped Dean's retort with a wave of her hand. "Enough. Both of you. Dear God, now I know how Cas felt when Dean and I were going at it. You!" She pointed at Dean "This isn't about what Sam has or hasn't done the past year. That's the past. Get over it." She speared Dean with a hard gaze, daring him to contradict her. Her violet eyes were diamond-hard and Dean raised his hands in surrender. "And you!" She whirled around and poked Sam in the chest. "Dean is understandably upset. He's never wanted normal like you. Just the thought makes his skin crawl. So back the fuck off! He doesn't get your incessant need for a white picket fence you don't get his adrenaline addiction and I don't get why neither of you can just let the other one be about it! You say you'll stand by him and you're here to hunt. Good. Let's leave it at that!"

She was huffing angrily by the time she was done. Both brothers stared at her for a moment before breaking into laughter and grabbing her in an awkward three-person hug that made Joie feel like the squished filling in a Winchester PB&J.

"I think I actually missed you yelling at me like that Jo-Jo." Sam laughed into her hair, and Dean voiced his agreement with a mirrored chuckle. "You've never flinched about telling us when we're being idiots."

"Yeah. Well, I've spent the vast majority of my life dealing with you two idiots. Why should I be scared to tell you about it?" Joie mumbled, shaking out of her brother's embrace. "You kept yelling about Kevin. Where is he? What's going on?"

Sam's face fell, and Joie struggled not to pull him back into a hug. Something really, really bad had happened, if the guilt written on Sammy's face was any indication. "He escaped from Crowley. Tried calling me for help. I wasn't around to answer."

Joie stiffened. A prophet in trouble and Sammy hadn't answered his phone. Fucking perfect. No wonder Dean was so pissed. "Where is he?"

"We don't know." Dean answered, voice tight with anger once again.

"Any way we can find out?"

"I think I might have heard something in the background during one of his messages. Sounded like voices over a PA system." Sam put in.

Joie nodded. "Does your computer still support the software to filter audio files?"

"Of course."

"Then hop to it Sam-I-Am." She twisted around the tall hunter and headed into the house. She needed Cookie Crisp and coffee, now! Rolling her shoulders and feeling the slight twinge in her back where she'd dropped to the floor to shake off a demon, she decided that a couple ibuprofens wouldn't go amiss either.

Castiel gave her a brilliant smile when she walked in, as if her just coming back into the cabin had made her day, and Joie fought not to blush. This was getting annoying. She'd never had this reaction to a guy before. "Are you ok Joie?" The angel asked following her into the kitchen area.

She nodded, flashing him a quick smile. "Fine. Just a little tired and irritated with the idgits I call brothers. Nothing new."

"Would you like me to silence them so they can no longer argue?"

Joie eyes brightened. "Dude! Cas! If you can actually do that I will fall to the floor and worship you! I swear!"

Castiel laughed and pulled the box of cereal down from the cabinet for her without her asking. "I could. But why don't we wait until they start arguing again for that particular trick."

"Deal. Just as long as I don't have to scream myself hoarse to get them to shut up next time. Sorry, by the way." She added as an afterthought, shaking the faux miniature chocolate chip cookies into a bowl.

"For what?"

"Me and Dean earlier. Standing out there on the porch with him and Sammy, I kind of got a sense of what you went through. I'm sorry."

Castiel cocked his head to the side, watching Joie curiously. She seemed to go out of her way to understand what other people were feeling, always concerned with their emotions and reactions. The more he thought about it, the more he realized the unconscious way she seemed to know what someone was thinking or feeling, the more he realized the huntress truly was an empath. That would explain why she could see her wings, why she reacted so negatively to the deaths of the demon hosts while rescuing Meg, even why her body rebelled against travelling angel-style. Empaths were notorious for reacting to strong supernatural occurrences with physical illness. Being plastered to an angel while it ripped you through time and space would definitely be considered a strong supernatural occurrence. "Joie, what do you know of your biological family?"

Joie shrugged. "Mom was a psychiatrist. Dad was a teacher. Had two big brothers. They'd be about Sam and Dean's age now. I think that's why John took me in. I think he thought being around two boys who were the same age as my brothers would put me a little more at ease after what happened."

"Did it?"

"I'm not sure. My first memory is of it being my fourth birthday. I was at Bobby's and Dean and Sam were chunking snow balls at me. The only life I've even known is with them." Joie admitted. Castiel watched as her fingers tightened around the bowl of cereal and knew she was lying. He also knew that she was just as stubborn as a true Winchester and wouldn't be telling him the truth any time soon. Besides, that wasn't the point of this conversation anyway.

Taking a deep breath, Castiel asked, "So you can't remember if your mother maybe had any psychic abilities."

"Nope. Why?"

"Many supernatural creatures are drawn to human psychics. With your mother being a psychologist, perhaps she was an empath?"

"Possibly. We'll never know for sure. Honestly, I don't think I want to know. Makes me think too much about what my life would've been like if that shifter hadn't murdered my family." Joie replied, determinedly taking a bite of the sugary mess that was passing off as cereal. "Anyway, how's your girlfriend doing?"

"I'm doing fine." Meg called from the couch. "And I can hear you Josephine!"

"Good for you Megara! Unfortunately, the name's just Joie. Not Josephine!"

Castiel stifled a giggle. "She calls me Clarence and my name is Castiel. I believe it is a sign of endearment."

"Oh dear god. The demon likes me. Let the world end now."

"Fuck you huntress!"

"I don't swing that way black-eye!"

"Girls! Stop!" Castiel yelled, a smile on his face. He could tell the difference between Meg's spiteful comments and good-natured bantering. This was definitely the latter.

Meg stood up from the couch, an exaggerated pout on her face. "Fine Clarence. But scram outside where the boys are plotting a way to escape into town without the mother hen finding out. I need to talk to Josephine here alone."

"Joie. Not Josephine." The violet-eyed brunette corrected.

"You'll always be Josephine to me huntress."

"Then I get to call you Megara."

"Why the hell would you do that?"

"Why would you call me Josephine?"

"I'm just gonna keep the Dean and Sam from leaving." Castiel muttered, edging around the two women who were now within three feet of each other. He doubted that they would attempt to murder one another, but did not want to be caught in the crossfire of any arguments either. He'd dealt with that enough today.

Joie gave him a reassuring smile. "Thanks Cas. When you get out there, remind them that their little sister is not afraid to tie them to a chair if need be."

"Yes Joie."

Meg and Joie both watched with amused smiles as Castiel bolted from the cabin. It was so obvious that he was trying to avoid getting in the middle of a conflict between the two women that it was cute. The human brunette waited until the screen door slammed shut behind the retreating angel before turning to the demoness near her. Sighing, she stuck out her hand. "Truce? For bird-boy's sake?"

Meg studied the huntress. Nodding, she shook the other woman's hand. "For Clarence."

Joie gave a half-smile and pulled her hand away. "So, what do you need to talk to me about?"

The demon shifted uncomfortably for a few moments, as if trying to find the right words. "I wanted to thank you for helping the angel get me out of there. What Crowley did-"

Violet eyes sparked menacingly and Joie held up a hand, warding off the oncoming explanation. "I don't want to know the details Meg. I can tell it was bad. You're host is half-starved and you could barely move, making me think that there was something in those ropes or on that chair that weakened the demon as well as the human in you and kept you bound to your vessel, since I didn't see a devil's trap anywhere. The only thing that confuses me is why Crowley didn't take you back to hell."

Meg nodded, grateful she wouldn't have to go into details just yet. "I could have been summoned from hell, even if they were torturing me. By keeping me where I was, Crowley ensured the only way for me to escape was if someone came to rescue me." She smirked. "He was expecting it to be Sam. Even had the property around the house keyed in to set off alarms if someone with Winchester blood crossed the boundaries. It's a good thing Dean didn't come. Otherwise, fifty more demons would have been there the second he crossed that fence."

Joie winced, remembering how she'd been insisting that Dean go. Looks like her brother made the right call… dammit. Now she'd have to admit he was right. Bring on the ego! Meg laughed at the look in the young huntress's face. The human was so easy to read!

"I'm going to guess by the pained resignation on your face that you have to do something that's going to boost big brother's ego?" The demon asked snarkily.

Joie nodded, still grimacing. "Unfortunately, yes. I don't suppose you'd be willing to not tell Dean about that part?"

"Not a chance in hell sweetie. I love watching you squirm?"

Joie arched an eyebrow, taking the last bite of her cereal. "Residual revenge from sending your ass back to hell a few years back?"

"Yeah. That and the fact that you summoned me from a very nice hiding spot in Australia to go after your brother and an amnesiac angel."

The huntress laughed, throwing her head back in true humor. "I was wondering if you'd remember that." Joie admittedly playfully, rinsing her bowl out in the sink. Silently, she held her hand out for Meg's and the demon grudgingly went and got it from the coffee table in the living room. "To be fair, I didn't know it was you. The last time I'd saw you, you were a blond."

Meg watched the human go through the basic steps of washing out what was in the sink. "How did you summon me if you didn't specify for me?"

Joie sent the demon a sly wink over her shoulder. "I asked for the demon that liked my brother the most."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?**_

Joie collapsed on the bed in the motel room, uncaring of her less-than-graceful fall. A true bed was wonderful. The cabin only housed two, so Meg had claimed one and Dean and Sam shared the other, leaving Joie with the couch since Cas didn't sleep. She was starting to see what her brothers meant about that being a creepy part of the angel's abilities. Waking up to hear the Angel of Thursday humming "Purple Rain" while he flipped through paid programming for sex toys was more than a little twitchy. Add that to the fact that said angel was sitting in on the floor right in front of you while doing this put it in the "permanent nightmare" sector of her brain.

"Budge up Josephine. You're not the only one who's tired." Meg drawled, forcefully pushing the huntress over and stretching out next to her.

Joie groaned but acquiesced to the move. "There are times I believe you're more trouble than you're worth Megara."

"Clarence doesn't think so."

"Clarence doesn't have to share a bed with you."

"I bet he would if he could."

"I'm sure. Unfortunately, Dean rolls in his sleep and you act like your dead, so you're the lesser of two evils."

"I find that ironic since I'm a demon."

"…Touché."

Dean and Cas smiled at the girls' banter in amusement. As much as they picked on each other, Meg and Joie had… bonded, in an odd way, over the past weeks. Especially when Kevin had been around. Dean smirked remembering the unexpected mother hen side to Meg. It shouldn't have been such a shock considering the demon's devotion to Castiel, but watching her fuss around the teen, making sure he got enough to eat and got plenty of sleep, even going so far as take the boy clothes shopping when she noticed his were getting a little ragged, made Dean grin. And proud at the same time. The demoness had come a long way since his first encounter with her.

Likewise, Castiel rejoiced in the camaraderie between the two women. His feeling for Joie grew daily, and Meg was the first friend he'd had who treated him as just another person, never asking anything from him except protection, occasionally. More often than not it seemed Meg protected him. The girls' reaction to Kevin had been amusing. Joie, they already knew, was a fusser, but seeing Meg take up the mantle of Kevin's surrogate mother as well had been awe-inspiring. While he had never doubted her tale of how she became a demon, the woman's actions concerning the young prophet had cemented the truth of her tale in his mind.

"Ladies, as much as I love the thought of two women sleeping together, this is not quite the situation I had in mind. Especially not with my sister in the mix. So how about we argue about sleeping arrangements later and go grab some food now?" Dean said, laughing.

Joie groaned and rolled over. "Go yourself. I'm sleeping. For a very long time."

"What about Kevin?"

"We can't find him if we're strung out on sleep deprivation."

"Or if we're starving."

"I'm not starving. You're the one with a tapeworm. Besides, if you go on your own you can order a nice juicy burger and all the fixings without worrying about your loveable little sister harping on you to eat more veggies."

Dean contemplated that for a moment. "Very good point Jo-Jo. You coming Cas?"

Castiel shook his head. "I would like to read more about tracking spells in the book Joie lent me."

"Suit yourself. Meg?"

The demoness would deny it to her dying breath, but the thought of spending time with the handsome hunter made her heart jump a bit. Giving an exaggerated sigh, she clambered off the bed. "Sure Dean. Can't let you go off on your own. Your luck, Crowley would grab you and Josephine here would lose it."

"Shove it Megara." Came the muffled reply from the bed.

"Love you to Josephine."

"Yeah, like a cat loves a rat."

"Girls!" Dean held up his hands. "Come on Meg, before you and my sister get into a wrestling match in the middle of the room. Cas, would you mind putting up the wards and laying out the salt after we leave? Put a devils trap up. We'll break it and redo it when we get back."

"Of course Dean."

"Jo-Jo? Do you want anything?"

"If you find a place with fresh chocolate chip and walnut cookies, bring me back a couple please. Other than that, just a fruit salad."

Dean rolled his eyes. "You and your cookies."

Joie turned her head, smiling at her brother. "No worse than you and your pie."

"In every form baby girl."

"Ew! Ew! Ew! I did not just hear that come from my brother's mouth! That is so disgusting Dean!" Joie buried her head under her pillow, pressing the ends over her ears as if to block out anymore sexual innuendos from her brother.

Dean, Meg and Cas laughed at the huntress's childish actions. Nudging Meg, Dean led them from the room without another word. Castiel waited for the door to close behind them and the split second it took him to protect the room before sitting on the bed next to Joie. "It's safe now. They've left."

Joie pulled the pillow from her head. "Thank God! That was just nasty Cas!"

"It wasn't that bad Joie." The angel placated.

"It was from my brother Castiel!" Joie exclaimed, flopping onto her back. She loved sleeping on her stomach, but the position made her back ache if she stayed like that too long. The fact that the move just put her all the closer to a certain blue-eyed hunk was just a bonus.

Castiel smiled down at her and ran a hand through her hair. She snuggled into the soft touch. "How are you really dealing with Samuel's decision to leave?"

The young girl sighed, turning on her side. She didn't _want_ to talk about this, but she _needed _to. It was difficult to explain. Normally she would write. Poetry, or something for her private works, something the rest of the world would never see, but she couldn't risk that with everyone who was around. Sharing a room, a ride, your _life_ with three other people made privacy practically impossible, and that type of writing was nothing if not private.

This wasn't normal though. And Cas was right here, willing to listen to her, to help her. "It sucks ass Castiel."

Castiel stretched out behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "I thought you were always more empathetic of Samuel's need for a normal life."

Joie smiled, and pressed back against him, bringing her arm down to lay over his and twining their fingers together. "I try. I really do. And I kind of want normal myself, but not like he does. I'm not willing to let other people die for the sake of being normal. I think that's the big difference."

"So you think Sam is being selfish by choosing normal over hunting?"

"No. Yes. It's complicated Cas."

"Do not feel as if you're being disloyal to your brother by feeling so. I believe he is."

Joie looked at him over her shoulder. "You do?"

Castiel nodded. "Dean lives for the hunt. But he wants normal as well. He has told me that when he is thrust into a perfect world, he mows the grass."

"He mows… the grass?"

"Yes. At his mother's home."

Joie giggled. "Ok. I can see that. Sort of. Kind of like being able to be the good son to her."

"Exactly. And when he was with Lisa and Ben, he enjoyed the family rituals and doing things such as teaching Ben about cars or sleeping with Lisa at night."

"So Dean wants normal huh?" Joie said with a smile. "It's good to know that he's just as susceptible as the rest of us."

"To what?"

"Hopes and dreams of something beyond… this."

"The nomadic existence that runs on murdering supernatural beings and credit card fraud?"

"Yes. But we haven't been operating on credit card fraud lately. Dean doesn't know it, but I've been paying off the credit cards he uses." Joie replied, stifling another giggle. "Sam's too."

"How?" Castiel was shocked. To his knowledge, very few hunters had legitimate means of income.

She shrugged next to him. "My books are popular. I've got a bit of a cult following. Between the royalty checks and the merchandise sales, I make a decent living. The hunting is something I do out of necessity."

"It sounds a good bit more than decent Joie."

"Well decent sounds better than filthy rich and using the money to keep my family in the law's grey side."

"Why though? Why not just quit and write full-time."

She rolled onto her back, staring up at him where he perched over her. "The same reason Dean will never be completely happy with normal. People die if we don't do what we do."

Castiel stared down into the huntress's violet eyes. They spoke so much of the weight she carried. The weight to be a perfect sister, a perfect hunter, a perfect leader for her brothers. The weight of knowing that people's lives literally rested in her hands. The weight of wanting so much more out of her life, but unable to grasp it because of the responsibility she shouldered. It was beautiful and harrowing at the same time, making Castiel want to take Joie far away and hide her from the world. "Why is it your job Joie?"

"Because I know, while other do not." She replied. "And we're off topic. Aren't we supposed to be talking about Sam?"

"I believe that discussion led to this." The angel monotoned, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm well aware of that. I was saying we should get back to that."

He cocked his head to the side, a small frown furrowing his brow. "But if we return to the previous conversation, is it not inevitable we end up back at this part of the discussion yet again?"

"I quit." Joie exclaimed, curling closer to Castiel. "And I'm going to sleep. We can keep talking about this in the morning if you like."

"Joie…"

"What Cas?"

"It hurts you. What you had to say to Sam. And the fact that he left anyway. And that he tried to take Dean with him."

"Really doll, I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's bedtime."

Castiel tilted her face toward his, obeying an instinct he didn't quite understand. Leaning down, he pressed his mouth to hers, lightly teasing it with soft brushes of barely parted lips. Joie's breath caught in her chest and she leaned her head up slightly, resulting in the barest increase in pressure. They stayed like that for several moments, kissing in the gentlest fashion, the touch of their mouths so light it could barely be described as such. Slowly, Castiel pulled back.

"I'll let this go for now Joie." He murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, "But we will continue this later." He turned her, molding her into the little spoon. He knew Meg wouldn't mind his stealing her spot for the night, and if Dean put up a fuss Cas could always claim he was comforting the young huntress when the fallout from Samuel's departure finally hit. "Go to sleep for now. I'll stay here while you rest."

Joie's mind, still frazzled from a combination of exhaustion, hunger, and _that kiss, _obeyed instantaneously. The brunette closed her eyes and slipped into unconsciousness, seeking to escape reality for now. She'd deal with the rest in the morning.

Castiel smiled as her breathing evened out and pulled her a little tighter against him. He didn't know what would happen now. She had reacted negatively to his kiss. Not quite positively, but she had retreated in disgust either. It didn't matter for now. One more thing to deal with in the morning. For now, he relished holding her in his arms. Breathing in the scent of lemon and mint that clung to her hair, he allowed himself to fall asleep with her. Yes, everything else could wait until morning.

**_~*~FINDING~*~YOURSELF~*~_**

Dean and Meg crept silently into the motel room an hour later. At the sight of his little sister and his guardian angel curled together on the bed, sleeping peacefully, he stopped short, mouth gaping in shock. Meg, acting quickly, slapped a hand over his lips, preventing the oncoming tirade sure to be waiting to be released.

"Break the Devil's Trap and we'll step outside and talk about this before you explode, ok Dean-O?" She whispered quietly in response to his death glare. Dean tensed, as if wanting to argue, but nodded reluctantly, toeing the chalk circle to make the break.

The two tip-toed back out the door, and Meg ensured it was closed tightly before Dean detonated. "What the hell was that!" He roared, pointing accusingly at the door. "What the fuck were they doing?!"

"It looked like they were cuddling." The demon drawled, highly amused at the whole situation. So Cas has actually made a move. Good for the angel. He needed a bit of happiness in his life. "And they were above the covers and still in their clothes. Hell, Clarence was still in his friggin' trench coat! So you can stop with the outrage of your friend compromising your sister's virtue. Not that she's a virgin anyway." Meg added the last part in a low whisper.

"What?! What do you mean 'not that she's a virgin anyway'? Of course she's a virgin! She's-"

"A healthy twenty-five year old _woman_ with the same needs as every other human. Including sex. By the way, if you ever want to hate Ash, there's your reason buddy boy." Meg interrupted, loving the flashes of disgust, shock, and nausea that raced across the hunter's face.

Dean felt physically ill. Seriously, it felt like his dinner was about to come back up. "Ash? Seriously? She lost it to Ash!"

Meg shrugged. "From what I gathered he was giving her computer lessons and she had a hot-for-teacher thing going on with him."

"The dude had a mullet!"

"And she grew up with a big brother that listened to mullet rock!"

Green eyes closed in repulsion, and Dean thunked his head against the motel's wall. "That's just wrong."

"No. That's the kind of guy girls who grow up in this life end up with. If they're lucky. If not they get Gordon or a kid and a baby daddy with no forwarding address." She told him practically. "It's not like there's a wide range of decent men out there for female hunters. Their options are kind of limited if they want something more than a one night stand."

Dean blanched. "She hasn't… has she?"

"A couple. Nothing big."

"How do you know all this?"

"Joie grew up with men, hunted with men, and spent all her time with men except for the couple of months she camped out at The Roadhouse with Ellen and Jo. Female company to talk about this shit with had been slightly limited. It's not much different when most of your demon cohorts are either male or like Ruby and Lilith. We've enjoyed having a semi-sane female around."

"And out of the things you two could talk about, you chose sex!" The hunter yelled, thunking his head against a wall. "Dude… you didn't tell her about-"

"Me, Sam, and a steamy bus stop bathroom? No. I figured that'd be a bit too much info for her."

He winced. "That's a bit too much info for _me._ I was talking about you, Cas, and the testing facility."

Meg laughed. "Oh yeah! I told her about that. She thought it was hilarious."

"She wasn't pissed?"

"Why would she be?"

"Well," He gestured to the door, "it looks like she likes him."

The demoness shrugged, a small smile tipping the corners of her mouth. "Yeah. And he likes her. Should he be pissed at the mini make-out session you two had when she was sixteen?"

Dean sputtered. "She told you about that?!"

Meg flushed, remembering that she and Joie had been talking about Meg's less-than-well-disguised crush on the handsome hunter in front of her when that particular tale was told. "Yep. I said something about you being less than satisfactory in that department and she assured me otherwise."

"Made that good of an impression, did I?" He smirked, triggering Meg's need to take his ego down a peg.

Flicking her nails nonchalantly, she replied, "Yeah. But she said Ash was better."

Dean flinched. "Gee, I feel like a bitch now."

Meg rolled her eyes. "Good. Come on. I'm tired. Let's go to bed."

"What are we going to do about your boyfriend and my sister?"

"Not my boyfriend, otherwise your sister would be dead. Just leave them alone Dean-O. They're grown. They can handle it on their own."

"Yeah but-"

"No buts hunter. Sleep now. Worry in the morning" She opened that bedroom door, stepping lightly over the Devil's Trap that still made her nervous, despite that fact that it was broken. Imprisonment does things to a girl.

Dean scowled but followed her. "When did you become the boss?"

She sent him a flirtatious glance over her shoulder. "Since you're my bed mate Dean-O. Do strip down to the boxer briefs. They're so sexy."

He laughed quietly as he grabbed the sweatpants and t-shirt he'd taken to wearing to bed ever since he started hunting with Joie again. Walking around in your underwear in front of your sister just seemed wrong somehow. "In your dreams Meg."

_You have no idea_. The demon thought, curling under the covers, facing toward the window. "Remember to repair the trap before you come snuggle up. Wouldn't want Crowley walking in on cozy scene."

"Will do. Try not to molest me in my sleep."

"Likewise Dean-O."

"Goodnight Meg."

Meg smiled at the affection in the hunter's tone. He was warming up to her. "Goodnight Dean."

_**Review please!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**_Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?_**

**_Amaya479: Of course I'll keep writing dear! It just might take a little while. I finally found some inspiration for one of my original works and have been working on that between creating new chapters for "Finding Yourself" and my Harry Potter fanfic "Grey"._**

* * *

_5 Days Earlier_

Joie, Castiel, and Meg paced anxiously around the motel room, waiting for Dean and Sam to get back with Kevin. It had been decided that they would go alone since they didn't know Joie, Meg was still a little weak, and the last time Kevin had seen Castiel, the angel was… well… nuts. Now the three were in the middle of their own personal mental breakdowns. They had received a panicked call from Sam 30 minutes ago saying Crowley had found them and that they had barely managed to escape with Kevin. The teen's girlfriend hadn't made it out alive.

Now they were waiting for the hunters and the prophet to get back so they could rip out of town, ASAP, and hopefully keep Crowley from catching up to them.

Dean burst into the room with a panicked looking teen behind him and Sam in the rear. "Grab your shit and let's go!"

Joie immediately complied, as did Castiel and Meg. Everything was packed; it was just a matter of tossing it in the trunk of the Impala and hauling ass. Joie threw her bag in first and grabbed Kevin by the arm. "Hey sweetie. I'm Sam and Dean's little sister. You're going to ride with me, ok?"

"What? Joie? No! Why?" Sam exclaimed from behind. Joie turned cold eyes on her brother and stepped between him and Kevin.

"We'll be faster on the bike. Crowley doesn't know me and I'm not related to you by blood so he can't use genetic tracking. And this way he won't be with the angel and demon that are practically calling beacons for the King of Hell. He'll be safer with me. What way did you come from?"

"North."

"Good. I'll go west with him for three hours. You four go east. We'll call each other when we stop and meet south and in the middle. That way if Crowley does find you, Kevin's not with you, ok?" Joie said, not really asking. She wasn't going to argue with Sam about this. This was the best way.

Castiel seemed to recognize this and stopped Sam before he could protest. "She's right Samuel. This is the easiest way to ensure Kevin's safety." He looked at Joie, and watched her quietly give the teen instructions on how to ride, making sure he understood he had to lean with her. He smiled as she strapped her own helmet on the terrified prophet. "Look at her Sam. She will protect him."

Sam nodded reluctantly. Dean leaned on the horn. "Let's get a move on! Crowley could show up any minute!"

Meg rolled her eyes. "Come on Clarence. Sammy-boy. Before Dean-O has a heart attack!"

Castiel clambered into the backseat next to Meg and Sam got into the front. Joie had already pulled up next to them on her bike, Kevin holding onto her for dear life, and gave them a small wave before peeling out of the motel parking lot, heading west. Three hours riding, a quick stop for some food and a bathroom break, then four and a half hours southeast to meet up with the rest of the group. Oh what fun. _Dear God I hope the kid remembers to lean._

**_~*~FINDING~*~YOURSELF~*~_**

Joie pulled to a stop in front of a small diner. Three hours heading straight east on all the main highways she could find. Back roads were too secluded. There was too big of a chance Crowley could stop them in the middle of the road and there'd be no one around to help. "Hey Kevin. Are you hungry sweetie?"

The teen nodded numbly against her back. He'd done surprisingly well for a newbie. Then again, he'd spent the last year escaping and avoiding demons. The kid was tough. "Yes ma'am."

"Dear God, please don't call me ma'am. I'm just Joie." She said, pushing down the kickstand. "Come on sugar, hop off so I can. I don't know about you, but my butt's numb from sitting so long. I'd like to let it get some blood flow going before I've got to sit on it again."

Kevin gave his first smile since she'd seen him and gingerly eased himself off the back. It was kind of cute, watching his slightly bow legged walk. Joie's heart panged for him. From what she'd heard, he'd just been a regular kid, actually, and extraordinarily smart kid who had his whole future laid to in front of him before Sam and Dean cracked open the Leviathan tablet and Kevin was zapped from AP Honor student and future Yale attendee to Prophet of the Lord on the run from every big baddie out there. The kid would never get a chance at normal again. He might go back to his old life, but now he'll always know that there are things waiting out there in the dark.

Shaking off her depressing thoughts, Joie clambered from the bike and walked around some, trying to get feeling back in her legs and ass. She finally settled when she felt the pinpricks. Ah, sweet blood flow. "So what do you like to eat Kevin?"

He looked up at her shyly. "Are you really Sam and Dean's little sister?"

"You know it's rude to answer a question with a question, right?"

"Well then weren't you just rude right there?" He challenged.

Joie laughed. "As were you right then. But then again, with the company I keep, rude isn't that big of a deal. Come on, let's go inside and I'll answer any questions you have. Then we'll call the boys and their black-eyed bitch and get a location to meet them in, ok?"

"Sure." He answered, looking a little lighter than he had been. Joie slung and arm across his shoulders, ignoring the way he stiffened, and led him inside. She picked a booth in the far back hand corner and situated herself to where her back was to the wall and Kevin was situated beside her. No demon was grabbing the prophet while she had anything to say about it.

A bubbly waitress came by and took their drink orders (soda for Kevin and coffee for Joie) while dropping off a couple menus and silverware. Kevin quickly glanced through the menu, groaning and thunking his head against the table. "What is with all the places your family eats never having any vegan options!"

Joie rolled her eyes. "Oh hush kid. A little milk and eggs aren't going to hurt you. Tell you what, how about we split a veggie plate and then we'll grab a couple cookies for dessert. And so help me, if you start quoting statistics on sugar intake in correlation to your brain's processing speed, I'll make you eat cotton candy."

Kevin gaped for a moment, before narrowing his eyes at her. "How did you know that's what I was going to do?"

"I know a lot more than you think kiddo. I could've gone to Yale too, on a full-ride scholarship like Sammy did to Stanford." Joie informed him proudly. She might have never gone to college, but she had the brains dammit.

"So why didn't you?"

"Because what I do now is more important." Joie replied simply. "So what do you want on the veggie plate? It says here we get five choices."

"Corn, green beans, fried zucchini, broccoli, and some French fries." He answered automatically. "Dean says the same thing you know. About this being more important than being normal."

"He's right. And you're worried about sugar, but not the amount of grease and salt you just ordered?" Joie replied distractedly, flashing the waitress a bright smile as she passed Kevin his soda and gratefully took her coffee. "Veggie plate. Corn, green beans, broccoli, fried zucchini and French fries please. Two plates."

The waitress nodded absently and wrote down their order as she walked away. Joie reminded herself to give the woman a good tip. She knew how to read her customers and obviously knew the she wasn't welcome to stick around and chat.

Kevin sent a withering glance to a wilting salad someone at a nearby table was eating. "I think that's as good as I'm going to get here. Are you really Sam and Dean's little sister?"

Joie sat back in the booth, sipping at her coffee. It was perfect. Fresh and dark and bitter, just the way she liked it. "I certainly am. Not by blood. A shape-shifter killed my family when I was little and their father took me in and raised me. Are you really a prophet?"

Kevin scowled. "Unfortunately. Why weren't you with Sam and Dean last year?"

"We had a bit of a falling out. A demon caused some problems between us. How did you escape Crowley?"

"Sent him on a wild goose chase and killed my body guards. Was it Meg? Because she's actually kind of nice for a demon."

"No. It wasn't Meg. A different demon named Ruby. She's dead now." Joie gave a cold, sadistic smile.

Kevin shuddered at the gleeful malice in Joie's voice when she imparted that bit of information. "Did you kill her?"

"I wish. No, Dean and Sam did. What happened tonight?"

They continued like this, back and forth through the entire meal. He'd ask a question and Joie would answer then ask a question of her own. Eventually they got down to topics like favorite color (Kevin swore if she ever wore green around him he'd burn it on principle.) and favorite music (Joie swore if he ever played classical around her she'd burn the CD on principle.) and favorite foods ( "What kind of teenager likes _Brussels sprouts_?" "What kind of adult likes chocolate chip cookies?"). Finally, at the end of it all, when they were good and stuffed and Joie was proud of herself for getting Kevin to eat a slice of fried zucchini dipped in ranch dressing, they leaned back with contented sighs.

"Do you think my mom is alright?" Kevin asked her, after Joie sent the waitress off for two glasses of milk and two cookies apiece.

She turned her violet eyes to the teen. "I'm sure she is."

"Do you think you could get Dean and Sam to go check on her?"

Joie sighed. She knew where the kid was coming from, but his mom was probably so locked down by demon lookouts that it would be impossible to get within three hundred feet of her without getting captured. "I think that's something you ought to ask them yourself when we get back. I'll make sure you get some time with them alone, that way you don't have to worry about an angel or demon putting in their two-cents worth."

Kevin nodded at her gratefully. "Will you… if they ask you for your opinion, will you back me up?"

She stared down at the young teen. He was lost, scared, thrust into a world he wasn't prepared for. He had just seen his girlfriend murdered in front of his very eyes and now all he wanted to know was if his mother was ok. "Yeah Kevin, if they ask me, I'll back you up."

**_~*~FINDING~*~YOURSELF~*~_**

The drove to meet up with Sam, Dean, Cas, and Meg. The next day Joie arranged it to where Sam and Dean took Kevin out for lunch. They came storming back into the motel room, Kevin wearing a satisfied grin, Dean and Sam looking murderous. "Pack up! We're making a surprise trip to see Kevin's mom."

Joie sent Kevin what she hoped was a covert wink and began packing up her clothes. When she walked outside, Sam grabbed her arm and jerked her hard. Joie winced, there would be bruises. "I convinced Dean to let him do this, but if he gets captured again, it's on your head. I know you put him up to this."

"I didn't do shit Sam." Joie hissed back, jerking her arm back. "He asked me, I told him to ask you. End of story."

Sam glared down at her, hazel eyes narrowing in annoyance. Joie, never one to be intimidated by his bitch face, glared back. "You need to learn your place little sister."

"Like you've learned yours big brother?"

"Is everything ok Joie?" Castiel asked, coming to stand behind the youngest Winchester. The way she and Sam were staring at each other made him fear for future bloodshed.

"Peachy fucking keen Cas." Joie replied, giving Sam one last sneer before turning away. "Everything loaded up?"

"Yes."

"Good. You want to ride with me today?"

Castiel smiled widely, trying to diffuse the hot anger rolling off of her in waves. "I'd love to Joie. Let me go tell Dean."

She nodded curtly, already walking toward her bike. With all the people they had joining them, she was going to need to buy a new helmet. Giving hers to the passenger of the moment was going to prove dangerous. She made a mental note to stop at the first Harley store they passed. Their bikes were too leisurely for her, but you couldn't find a company that made better protective gear unless you had it done custom by the same people who work for race-car drivers and X-Treme sports stars.

At this point she was thinking of anything to get her mind off Sammy. The fact that he'd grabbed her made her blood boil. He was acting so different from the brother she knew and loved. Under normal circumstances, Sam would have never hurt her, unintentionally or otherwise. This… explosion, Joie didn't know what to think. All she knew was that something was seriously_ wrong_. Absently, she rubbed her arm where Sam had left bruises.

Castiel came up beside Joie, watching her face as the emotions played through her big violet eyes. Anger and worry warred there and Castiel wanted to shake her himself for being worried about Sam even after he had "seen" (Joie really needed to learn to block her thoughts) the way the tall-hunter verbally attacked her. When he saw her rub the area that Sam had bruised, he couldn't stop himself anymore. Gently, he pushed her fingers aside and ran his hand over  
the area, healing the bruise before it could even properly form. When he finished, he allowed his hand to drift lower, settling on her hip.

Joie smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. The angel had come to her rescue. Or maybe Sam's. At that point she had been so angry she might have gone ahead and swung at her brother. She definitely understood why Dean got so frustrated with the Sasquatch. Anyway, he saved her, and now healed her. He was too sweet for words. Tilting her head back, she kissed his cheek lightly. "Thanks Cas."

Worried blue eyes bore into her own violet ones. "Would you like to talk about it Joie?"

"Nah. I'm fine. Just a sibling squabble."

"Dean says we're leaving in five minutes!" Kevin called, hopping into the back of the Impala.

Joie smiled at the boy's exuberance and stepped away from Castiel. She's only just realized how their position would look to her brothers and she just didn't want to deal with that right now. "Hey Megara! Get your demonic ass over here!" She yelled out, stepping about five feet from the bike. Looking over her shoulder to the angel, she gave him a soft smile. "Go ahead and put on the helmet Cas. I've just got to speak to our resident hell-bitch for a moment."

"Oh hardy-har-har Josephine." Meg said with a smile, sauntering up to the huntress. She had seen the whole exchange, from the moment Sam had grabbed her to the moment Castiel had comforted her, and was smirking inside. _My little Clarence has a crush! How cute!_ Thinking of the small kiss Joie had placed on his cheek, she figured the feeling were mutual between huntress and angel. "What's up babe?"

Joie leaned close, trying to make it look as if they were just doing their usual banter. "Try and keep an eye on Kevin. Sammy's in a mood and with Kevin all excited to go see his mom, I don't want Sam to blow on the poor kid for being a teenager."

Meg's eyes narrowed. "Ok doll. No problem. Tell you what. Let's try to keep him with one of us at all times, at least until we get his mom."

"You offering to work together Megara?" Joie teased with a small smirk.

"What the hell do you think we've been doing Josephine?" Meg replied, smiling as she stuck her hand out. Joie shook it gladly. "So here's how we work this. Kevin sleeps in our bed. He'll ride in the Impala for today and finish the last leg with you on your bike tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me. Meals, we'll keep him between us and Meg…" Joie trailed off.

"Yeah."

"When we stop tonight, take the kid clothes shopping. He's getting a little ragged. Pick up some new clothes for the other boys as well. We've got to get Cas out of those institution clothes."

"Me? Why me? You're a girl too! You go shopping!"

Joie arched and eyebrow at the demoness, gesturing down to the loose jeans and baggy t-shirt that made up most of her wardrobe. Paired with scuffed motorcycle boots, a sloppy ponytail and no make-up, the girl looked like the tomboy she was. "Do I look qualified to pick out clothes for anyone?"

Meg flinched. "You realize I'm going to shop for you too, right?"

"As long as you don't make me look like some Dominatrix on a warpath, I'm cool with that."

"No Dominatrix. Just clothes that actually fit. What's your size?"

Just then Dean came out, bellowing for everyone to load up. Joie smiled and shook her head at her brother's noise level. "I'll give you everyone's sizes later. And you can use my credit card to buy everything. It's at least legit. Well, legit in my penname."

Meg smirked, heading toward the Impala. "Figures. We'll talk later Josephine. Have fun with the angel."

"Have fun with my brothers Megara." Joie shot back, walking to her Suzuki. At Castiel's unspoken question, she said "I'll explain later. Saddle up bird-boy"

Castiel rolled his eyes and straddled the bike behind the huntress. "You know, eventually you will pay for calling me names."

Joie laughed and winked at Cas over her shoulder. "Oh don't tease me feather-brain. I might like it."

The angel blushed profusely and they rode off, following behind the blinking tail-lights of the Impala.

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_**~*~Read and Review Please!~*~**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?**_

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_**Amaya479: Thank you so much sweetie! I'm trying here, lol. Here's the next few chapters.**_

_**Mrs. Tom Riddle: First things first, LOVE THE NAME!**** Ok. Sorry. Had to get that out. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. Hope you enjoy the next few chapters and I'm glad you like it so far!**_

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_**Author's Note: I am SO sorry it took me so long to update. I had a Criminal Minds fanfic pop into my head that wouldn't leave me alone until I got it out, and then I was hit with inspiration for another original and for my fanfic Grey. It's no excuse, but I am sorry. I hope this makes up for it!**_

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Joie woke up curled against something hard and warm. She'd never felt safer, or more loved. Smiling, she stretched, jolting slightly when her fingers grazed through soft feathers. Not just any feathers, but black and grey feathers threaded through with silver. Slowly, the previous night filtered into her cobweb filled brain. The motel room, wanting to sleep, talking with Cas, the… her heart stuttered, the kiss. He had kissed her. _He _had kissed her. He had kissed _her_. Oh my God!

"Please lower the volume of your thoughts Joie." Castiel mumbled sleepily from beside her, tightening his arms around her. "I am finding this resting pleasant and your shock is disrupting it."

She chuckled slightly and wriggled away. "Sorry Cas, but you've got to sleep without me. I need to go to the bathroom and get breakfast."

Sighing, the angel reluctantly released her and she slipped from the bed, stifling a hysterical giggle when she saw him grab a pillow and use it to replace her in his arms. _I really should take a picture of this. There's no way any one will believe me otherwise._

"Aww… How sweet." Meg drawled quietly from across the room. Joie jerked her head around to see the demon sitting comfortably in the chair by the window. "Sleep well Josephine?"

"I could ask you the same question Megara." Joie snapped, smiling to soften the words.

"Oh. I slept _very _well." The demoness gave a satisfied grin. "I think I'm going to go get breakfast with you. We need to talk."

The huntress grinned, going for her duffel. "Gladly."

"Uh-uh. Hold on hunter. You're wearing this today." Meg stated with a smile, tossing a Wal-Mart sack full of clothes to Joie. "You've been avoiding wearing the clothes I got you. It's starting to hurt my feelings."

Joie groaned but only grabbed her toiletries out of her duffel and went into the bathroom. "I'm assuming you thought of everything when you picked this outfit?" She called through the bathroom door.

"From underwear to accessories Josephine." Meg called back.

Shaking her head, Joie shucked her pajamas and pulled out the clothes Meg bought her. They didn't _look_ bad. Blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt. She laughed when she saw the matching bra and panty set. They wear black with neon purple skull-and-crossbones stamped all over them. The demon had also gone through her rosary bag, because her amethyst rosary was in there alone with a plain black ribbon fashioned as a choker and black and purple rubber bangles to go around her wrist. Even her socks were black and purple, the same style as her undergarments.

She showered and dressed quickly, brushing her teeth and pulling her still-wet hair back into its customary braid and hesitantly using the make-up Meg got her. She knew how to do make-up. She did, as long as no one was expecting more than some powder and mascara. Unfortunately, Meg had gotten her eyeliner, blush, eye shadow, and lipstick as well. Still, for only having a basic idea of how to use any of that stuff, she didn't think she did such a bad job.

Standing back, she studied herself in the mirror. The clothes were tighter than she was used to, but looking at it objectively, she had to give the demon this, she didn't look bad. A little darker than she was used to, a bit more punk than tomboy, but not bad. Joie repacked her toiletry case and gathered up her pajamas before stepping out of the bathroom. She was met with a long whistle.

"You clean up good Josephine." Meg said, coming to circle the huntress. Joie stiffened instinctually. Friend or not, Meg was still a demon. "See. I told you I wouldn't put you in anything too uncomfortable. Just something that actually fits you. Good job with the make-up by the way. There, but natural. You don't look like you were gang-banged by Crayola at least."

Joie laughed. "Thanks Megara… I think. Come on. Just let me get my boots and wallet and we'll be on our way."

"You have new boots by the way?" Joie turned to stare at the demon, who shrugged. "You're old ones were ragged. Practically splitting at the seams. We passed a Harley shop when I took Kevin shopping, so I stopped and got you some new ones. Top of the line. Slip proof, water proof, fire proof. Perfect for riding and kicking ass, so you should be good. Here." A box was tossed at the huntress. "They're in there. I trashed you old one's last night when Dean and I left to get food. We forgot to get your cookies by the way. Sorry."

Gingerly, Joie sat on the edge of the bed Cas was sleeping on and pulled out the new boots. They were carbon copied of her old ones, and Joie sighed in relief. Her boots were sacred to her. She didn't have a lot of other shoes like most women, just a pair of trainers in the bottom of her duffel, so her boots bordered on sacred with her. With a laugh, she realized that Meg had replaced the traditional black laces with a set of purple ones. "Trying to tell me something Meg?"

The demoness shrugged. "Goes good with your eyes. And with your hair, the punk look is good on you. Come on. Get your boots on. I'm hungry, you haven't had your coffee yet, and Dean's a bear until he gets some food in his stomach. I'd rather not deal with too much of that."

Joie chuckled and quickly put on her boots, lacing them up how she liked them and grabbing her jacket from off the table. Pausing, she looked over at Meg with a teasing glint in her eyes. "You're not planning on replacing this too, are you?"

"Hell no." Meg replied, rapidly shaking her head. "You'd kill me. John gave that to you for your eighteenth birthday. Besides, where else would I find a jacket that had an anti-possession tattoo stitched onto the lining?"

Joie laughed. "He didn't want me to get a tattoo. I did later on any way. Same time Sam and Dean did. It was like a big family bonding moment. But this was his original way of making sure I stayed safe when I went out on my own." She rubbed a small spot on the chalk line of the Devil's Trap. "Come on. I need coffee. Stat."

Meg did a quick hopping maneuver over the Devil's Trap and waited outside while Joie reclosed the circle. The huntress carefully closed the door, and sighed, happy neither her brother nor the angel had woken. Surprising with as much as she and Meg had been talking. Feeling slightly in comfortable in her new clothes, she decided to fall back on an old habit to steady her nerves. She pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her jacket and lit one, ignoring Meg's raised eyebrow. Silently, she offered one to the demon as they walked, and, with a shrug, Meg took one and lit it.

"I thought John was against pretty much everything but alcohol." Meg said, staring at the burning tobacco in her own hand.

Joie shrugged. "He did." She replied. "I picked this up when I lit out on my own. Helped calm me down."

"That's the second time you've mentioned being on your own." The demon said, taking a deep drag. "I thought you didn't head off on your own until after John died."

"Nope. When I was eighteen. Was on my own for about a year then hooked back up with Dean and Sammy. Stayed with them for a couple years then we got into it over Ruby and I left again."

"Not that you ever really left."

Joie gave Meg a steady look. "They're my brothers. The only family I've ever really had. And they're stupid and reckless. I couldn't just leave them to it. They'd be dead by now. So I did what I had to do. "

"Including sending a demon after your brother." Meg said with a grin. "Tsk tsk Josephine."

"Bite me Megara." Joie replied without rancor. "Like I said, I did what I had to do. Look, there's a McDonald's about three blocks ahead. Please dear god let them still have the chocolate chip frappes."

Meg smiled. "That actually doesn't sound half bad. So why were John and Dean so cool about you being on your own when they freaked out about Sammy?"

"It was always kind of understood that I'd be on my own hunting shifters one day. It was like I was family, but not really. Not to John anyway. His whole go was to get me to a point where I could wipe out the things that killed my family. And with Dean, I was like another charge. I'm his little sister, but not really because he's not as protective as he is with Sammy. To Sammy, well, I was just the kid who came in and took his place as the baby of the family."

"So you've always been a little tense with him?"

"Not really." Joie stopped to stomp out her cigarette. "He loves me. I know that. I can't count the number of times that he stepped in between me and John and did something to take the old man's temper off me. And in return Dean would step in and calm everyone down. But I could tell there was always just this bit of resentment lingering under the surface when John would praise me or Dean would let me share a bed with him because I was scared. It was just a part of life though."

Meg nodded. She felt that from Sam too, especially when the tall hunter had found out that Joie had managed to step-up and be there for Castiel and Dean after Dean hadn't been able to get ahold of Sam. Then again when it turned out Joie was the safest one for Kevin to travel with since Crowley didn't have an easy way to track her. And yet again when everyone chose to stand by Joie instead of leaving with Sam. Eventually, all that anger and resentment was going to blow, and if Joie was around when it did, Meg feared for the huntress. Something had changed in Sam over the past year. He may not have hunted, but he was more dangerous than ever. It was almost as if Soulless Sammy was back, just with more emotion.

Joie held the door open for Meg and the two walked up to the counter, ordering a load of bacon, egg and cheese McGriddles, two chocolate chip frappes, a large black coffee, and four orange juices. Breakfast in hand, they headed back to the motel, Meg carrying the drink tray, and Joie carrying the bag. "Thank god the orange juice comes in bottles now."

Meg nodded. "You're telling me."

"Hey Meg," Joie waited until the demon looked at her. "Tell me about your brother."

Subtly, the demon tensed. But she spoke anyway. "He was only fifteen when he got sick. Our parents had died the year before and I became a prostitute in order to keep the bills paid. He was the reason I did it. There was no one else to take care of us, and he was already sickly and had been from the time I was born. Like you, I did what I had to do for my family. But he was…" She sighed. "He was always so happy, and curious. I wish I could have made enough money to send him to a university or even to apprentice somewhere. He was so smart.

"In today's terms, he'd be considered a genius, I'm sure of it. He taught himself to read and actually made friends with the owner of a local book shop. Anything extra we had after we were fed and the rent was paid, I always spent on books for him, but when there wasn't enough, the shopkeeper would let him borrow books and return them when he was finished.

"He was innocent, even with what I did as a living. Castiel reminds me so much of him, it physically hurts at times. They have the same childlike wonderment for everything, but at the same time, this spine of steel when it comes to something important to them. And the same gentle way of caring for others. A client beat me badly one time and Richard was so careful about making sure I healed properly." Meg sent Joie a sad smile. "When I see Castiel heal you, or the way he finds a way to comfort you when you're upset, it reminds me of that. Richard was the same way. He could never stand to see anyone in any sort of pain."

Joie impulsively gave the demoness a one-armed hug. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No. It's fine. It's just been so long since I've gotten to think of him like I did when I was human." Meg said, her lower lip slightly trembling. "It's an odd feeling. I didn't think I was capable of it anymore."

Joie smiled encouragingly. "Maybe you're regaining some of your humanity."

Meg laughed, shaking her head. "That's not possible. You don't become a demon until they've stripped you of ever last thing even resembling a soul."

"I don't believe that." When Meg looked at Joie with wide eyes, the huntress shrugged. "What? I don't believe that. I don't think you can strip a soul. You can break it, bleed it, warped and twist it into something else, but you can't dispose of it. And I think that's what they do to you in hell. They distort the soul into a something it was never meant to be, a demon, but they can never do away with it." Joie tucked a flyaway strand of hair back from Meg's face before cupping the demon's cheek in her palm, forcing her to look at her. "And with every distortion, there's a way to fix it. Maybe what you're doing now, helping us, standing up for the right side, fighting for the good of humans rather than for their destruction, is the way to fix your soul. Maybe if you keep it up, you'll become human again and will get your own heaven with your brother."

"Do you really think that's possible?" Meg asked, arching her brow, slipping back behind her mask. "I mean, think about."

Joie laughed, letting the demoness get away with changing the tome of the conversation. "I think, considering what we see on a regular basis, you should know that anything is possible. Just as you should know that if God let Dean freakin' Winchester into heaven, I'm sure you're a shoo in."

Meg laughed. "Speaking of Dean freakin' Winchester, I think you're right. It might not be completely hopeless."

"Um.. Duh!" The huntress replied with a laugh. "In case you didn't notice, he didn't exactly push you away in the cabin. And I'm going to guess that you two slept in the same bed last night."

Meg nodded, blushing slightly. "I woke up in a cocoon of blankets and Dean. Had to twist and wiggle for fifteen minutes before I could get out of bed." She sent Joie a sly smile. "What about you? You and Clarence looked pretty cozy."

"He kissed me." The human replied with a blush. "He was trying to get me to talk about Sammy and I was trying to get him to drop it and he just kind of… kissed me. Then he told me he'd let it go for now, but that we needed to talk in the morning."

"And…"

"And we spooned and fell asleep. You were already awake when I got up this morning, so you know what happened next." Joie laughed. "Honestly, I've never slept better."

Meg arched an eyebrow. "Really? Same here."

"We're sunk aren't we."

"Probably. But I don't care if you don't."

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	13. Chapter 13

_**Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?**_

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"You brought breakfast!" Dean exclaimed happily when Joie and Meg returned to the room. He was already awake and ready to go for the day. "Awesome! I knew I kept you around for a reason little sister!"

"Yeah. This and my awesome research skills. Dig in big brother. There's orange juice and coffee for you." Joie replied with a smile, kissing her brother's cheek.

"I love you. I really love you. You're an angel."

"No she's not." Castiel stated drily. "Nor would she ever be. She is not even a vessel. I would know if she's one of my brothers or sisters."

Meg rolled her eyes and tossed the angel an orange juice and one of the breakfast sandwiches. "It's an expression Clarence. It means that she's sweet or nice. Not that she's literally and angel."

The angel's brow furrowed as he thought this over. "But angels are not sweet or kind. In fact, Dean had referred to my kind as heavenly dicks on more than one occasion."

"But most of the human population doesn't know that." Meg explained patiently, taking a long sip of her frappe. "Most humans think of angels as cuddly cherubs, not fearsome defenders of the Lord's will."

"Why?"

"Because they don't know any better."

"Why?"

"Because many of them haven't taken the time to look past what they've been told or read anything other than their Bible."

Castiel shook his head. "Humans are ignorant." He was simultaneously pelted with breakfast sandwich wrappers. "What?"

Joie glared at him. "We're humans." She said, gesturing between herself and Dean. "Remember?"

The angel flushed. "Obviously I wasn't including the two of you in that statement." He corrected. "I was referring to humans who don't take the time to learn about angels properly."

"You're a fairly secretive lot Cas." Dean replied, grabbing another McGriddle. "It's not like it's easy to find real information on you."

Joie nodded. "It's true. Bobby had to search for weeks and call in a ton of favors just to get on proper copy of the Book of Enoch. What?" She asked at Dean's questioning gaze. "Just because you stopped talking to me doesn't mean Bobby did. I'm his little flower, remember?"

Meg chuckled. "His little flower? Bobby Singer actually called you his little flower."

"That's only because she went out and picked a bunch of Indian Paintbrushes and brought them back for him when she was three." Dean said with a laugh. "You should have seen him when she was little. Gooey, was the only word to describe Bobby around her. She had him wrapped around her little finger."

Joie shrugged. "I was the lone female among a group of four males. What do you expect?"

"Nah. It was because you were so cute." Dean countered with a grin. He looked at Cas and Meg. "Biggest eyes you ever saw and always smiling. Plus, she had this incessant need to touch people. She was constantly crawling up in Dad and Bobby's laps. And mine."

"Especially when you were sad?" Castiel asked curiously.

Dean sent the angel a surprised look. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Because she's an empath." Cas replied with a shrug. It's not like he was any good at lying, and he'd already ruined Dean's trust enough by doing just that. "As a child, she would have less control over her abilities and had an instinctual need to comfort when she felt someone feeling any sort of sadness. I also assume that she reacted negatively whenever someone was angry?"

Joie nodded. "I used to get sick and throw up. Or I'd get really dizzy and shake and have to sit down for a while until I calmed down."

"And I'm sure that when everyone around you was happy, you seemed to be ten times happier than your normal self."

Dean nodded. "It was like she almost radiated it."

"See. All signs of an empath. Along with her ability to see my wings and the fact that she becomes physically ill when she flies with me, I'm almost sure of it." The Angel of Thursday stated calmly. "Your mother was probably one as well. It is an ability that is passed on through genetics."

He ate calmly, oblivious to the stares he was receiving. It was as if he hadn't just dropped a huge bomb on their lives, skewing their perspective of one of the group. Finally, he looked up and noticed the gaping. "What? Surely one of you suspected it at some point? At least you Meg?" They all shook their heads. "Not even when I suggested your mother might be one Joie?" The look on her face clearly stated otherwise. "Dean? I mean, did you really believe someone without at least some sort of psychic ability could slip so easily into the silent communication your family excels at?"

Dean shrugged. "I thought it was because she was raised with us."

Castiel sighed. "I was trying to wait until a time more conducive to revelations to tell you this, but it's the only thing that makes sense. It cemented itself in my mind when she reacted so violently to the deaths of the hosts when we rescued Meg. Quite frankly, I'm surprised she has been able to hunt at all. Being in the presence of death is especially traumatizing for an empath. Either she's in much better control of her abilities than I thought, which I doubt since she didn't even realize she had abilities, or, the more logical conclusion, her training allowed her to overcome her natural instinct to recoil from violence and murder."

Dean looked curiously at his sister. "He's right you know." She glanced at him questioningly. "I know you don't remember, but when Dad first brought you home, you were in a serious state of shock. You wouldn't talk, barely ate, only moved or did anything when Dad told you too. It wasn't until a good year later that you said your first words to us. Nearly bowled us over."

Joie cast her eyes to the floor. "What did I say?"

The hunter smiled, kneeling on the floor next to his sister and softly held her hand. "We were all sitting around and eating dinner. You were curled up in your chair, knees to your chest like always, just stabbing at your macaroni and cheese. Dad was watching you. I think he was sad, thinking about what had happened to you, and I was worried. You'd had a nightmare the night before and hadn't eaten all day. All of the sudden you got up and went in sat in Dad's lap and reached over to start playing with my fingers. You looked up at Dad and asked "Are you my Daddy now?"" Dean paused, his eyes welling with tears. "Dad hugged you and said that if you wanted him to be, then yes, he'd be your daddy. You gave the first smile we'd ever seen on you, and hopped his lap and came and hugged me. Then you asked "Will you be my big brother then, Dean?" I told you I would and you walked over to Sammy and tugged on his shirt until he looked at you. Then you said "Will you be my big brother too Sammy?" Sammy stared at you for a moment, before he said he didn't know how to be a big brother. Then you kissed his cheek and said "That's ok. I know how to be a little sister. I'll teach you.""

Quietly crying, Joie slipped to the floor and into Dean's lap. Castiel moved beside her, laying his head on her shoulder while Meg stood back watching the scene with a small smile. If only Sam, Kevin, and Mrs. Tran were here, it would be perfect. The surviving family, forged out love, war, and necessity. But Sam wanted normal, and Dean had scared Kevin when trying to get to Crowley as the bastard King of Hell had possessed the teen's mom.

Meg shook her head, sitting in the floor and leaning against Dean, allowing Joie to grip her hand when the huntress reached out. Things would have been so much simpler if they'd all just gone to the auction. But no, Crowley didn't know about Joie and all the wards in the world wouldn't have stopped the Scottish ass from cheerfully murdering Meg or Castiel had they shown up. So, against everyone's better judgment, Dean, Sam, Kevin and Mrs. Tran had gone to that auction alone, and here they were.

For the first time in hundreds of years, since before her brother had gotten sick and she had happily made a deal to save his life, Meg closed her eyes and prayed. She had a new family now. She knew in her heart that these people would never turn their backs on her. All she wanted for them in return was the happiness they deserved.

_Please God, I know you're real. I know you're out there. You have to still care. Protect them. Help them. Let them succeed, then leave them in peace and stop fucking with the world until after they die. That's all I'm asking. With everything else you've done, it doesn't seem like too much to ask of you._

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	14. Chapter 14

_**Disclaimer: I don't own, Mr. Kripke and friends don't sue... Deal?**_

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"So what happens now?" Dean finally asked. Hours had passed, and still they hadn't moved. Joie was still clinging to Dean. Castiel still sat next to them, his head on Joie's shoulder, his hand wrapped possessively around her hip. Meg was still on the floor next to Dean, leaning against the hunter while his huntress sister squeezed her hand.

Joie sighed. They were lost. The revelation of her abilities had rocked them all, with the exception of Cas, but they couldn't stay this way. "We find Kevin." Her voice surprisingly firm. "And his mother. We get the tablet from Crowley. We close the gates of hell forever. In the meantime, I work on my abilities and do some research. I'll try to see how we can use them to our advantage. Until we get a bead on Kevin, this is headquarters, deal?" Every nodded. "Good. Cas, I need you to go to any vault, storage locker, or hiding place Bobby had and get me all his books. Meg, there's a shop in Shawnee, Oklahoma. A man named Wade runs it. Tell him Joie sent you to collect her favor. He's going to give you a new computer, a stack of memory sticks and three external hard drives. I need them. Dean. Prep the weapons. Clean every gun, sharpen every knife, load every clip, and make holy water in every combination you can think of to inflict the most damage and then I'm going to need all of you to trudge through every book on demons we have and try to find out as much as we can about Crowley. Meg, you're going to be our biggest asset on this since you've worked with the man. We need to know about every safe house he's ever had. And," She took in a deep breath. "Dean, once we get Kevin back, we're going to have to start capturing Crowley's current soldiers and use the information they give us to work our way up the ladder to someone who knows where Crowley and the tablet are."

"Are we gathering information the way I think we're gathering information?" Dean asked, a feral glint in his eyes.

"Not if I can help it. But if it comes down to it, then yes." Joie hugged her brother tightly, finally releasing the demoness's hand. "I'm sorry to ask it of you, but it's necessary."

Dean laughed. "A world with no more demons trying to possess us or kill us? I think this is a case of the end justifies the means."

Joie nodded and scooted off Dean's lap, standing and moving around to get the blood flowing. "Great. Let's get to work. Cas, Meg, as soon as you two get back we'll start. In the meantime, go grab the weapons and start Dean. I'm going to do laundry."

With that, she gathered up everyone's duffel's and trudged from the room. Meg sent Dean a questioning glance, who shrugged in return. "Cleaning calms her down. You should have seen Bobby's while she was waiting for her SAT scores to come in. The place sparkled. She even dusted his books and polished all his tools. Probably the only time since Bobby got them that they'd ever been grease free."

**_~*~FINDING~*~YOURSELF~*~_**

Surprisingly, it only took a couple hours to gather everything they needed. Castiel apparently knew much more about the Winchester's and their friends than he ever let on and was able to gather enough books to make the Library of Congress jealous without any problems. Meg, being the demon she was, only had to flash her eyes at Wade before the man was scrambling to gather what they needed. And Dean, being Dean, knew every weapon they had, plus the one's Joie added to the collection, like the back of his hand, and was already halfway through.

Setting everything up on the bed not covered by guns, knives, water bottles, rosaries, and cases of rock salt, Joie surveyed their material. "Ok. Here's how it goes. Meg, find a notebook and a quiet place and start writing out everything you know about Crowley and his operation. Cas, you see the boxes closed up with silver duct tape?" The angel nodded. "Those would be the boxes holding the books on demons. The ones with electrical tape are on hell. Start reading. Focus on killing and tracking high ranking demons."

Castiel cocked his head to the side. "Could we not just use the same tracking spell we used for Meg?"

"Possibly. If we can't find a spell specifically formulated for demons of Crowley's caliber, then we'll try that. For right now, knowledge is power, so educate yourself. I'm going to start trying to track Kevin. We'll focus on tech help for now, but if I haven't found anything in two days, then we'll turn to the mystical, deal?"

Dean looked up from the shotgun he was cleaning. "Why not just use a tracking spell now?"

"Because one, I'm not sure if we can even track a prophet, and two, they take a lot of power out of any supernatural creatures in the area and we need both Meg and Cas at full-strength. When you're finished there." She pointed an accusing finger at Dean. "You _are _ going to write out an apology to that young man, and his mother, for trying to kill the poor woman. I don't care if Crowley possessed her. There were other ways." The hunter opened his mouth to protest until she shot him through with a hard glare. "Do not argue with me Dean."

"Who died and made you boss?" He grumbled, but acquiesced with a slight nod.

Joie arched and eyebrow at him. "No one had to die. Just decided we needed new management when we lost a teenaged prophet and his mother." He glowered at her and she sent him a saccharine smile. "Finish with the weapons Dean. Then write out the apology. Then pick a book. Meg, if you wouldn't mind starting to research when you're done, I'd really appreciate it dear. I'm going to upload the search parameters and start running facial recognition through the main security companies."

Curious, Castiel looked over Joie's shoulder as she started running through computers. "What will that do."

"Almost every security camera is manufactured by three main companies. Those companies typically have a huge memory bank that stores the images from their cameras, no matter what security company or store sold and installed them." She gestured to the three external hardrives and the memory sticks. "By hacking into their mainframes and uploading the security codes in the memory sticks along with a photo of Kevin, I can run facial recognition software on the images picked up on 85% of the cameras in America and hope to God that Kevin gets caught on one of them. After that, it's just a matter of back tracing the positive image to the location of the camera."

"Joie," Dean spoke up from the bed. "You're shit with computers except when it comes to running basic search programs. How the hell are you going to pull this off?"

She gave a sly smile. "I don't have to. Wade has the computer preprogrammed. All I have to do is follow simple on screen instructions."

"Seriously?" Dean came to stand next to Castiel behind her. "How did you meet this guy again?"

She shrugged. "Wade had his identity stolen by a shifter about a year ago. Racked up a string of B&E's in his name. I fixed it. He said he owed me. We worked out a deal."

"Damn little sister." Dean murmured, watching as screen after screen of information flashed through the monitor. "I should've stuck with you."

She grinned over her shoulder. "Just now realizing that Dean-O? Go finish cleaning the weapons. We've got work to do."

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